Loopers

• Eggs are pale yellow-green and slightly flattened.
• Larvae can grow to 50–60mm long.
• Green loopers are green with white and/or dark stripes.
• Brown loopers are slightly smaller.
• Moths are various shades of brown with a range of patterns on their forewings.

Loopers can be distinguished from helicoverpa by:

• their 'looping' action when walking
• their body, which tapers to the head
• only 2 pairs of hind legs (helicoverpa has 4).

• Widespread throughout northern cropping areas (including northern New South Wales); more common in coastal regions.
• Brown pasture looper occurs in all winter oilseed areas.
• Some green loopers have been reported in Tasmania.

• Bean, soybean, tobacco and vegetable loopers occur in soybean, mungbean, navy bean, azuki bean. Soybean looper is also found in sunflowers.
• Castor oil looper and Pantydia spp. occur in soybean.
• Cotton looper occurs in cotton.
• Brown pasture looper occurs in canola, lupins and broadleaf pastures.
• Sugarcane looper are occasionally found in soybeans but prefers grasses.
• Mocis trifasciata are reported in cowpeas in North Queensland and soybeans at Bundaberg.

Larvae are mainly leaf feeders but can occasionally feed on pods or seeds.

Looper damage is angular whereas helicoverpa damage is rounded.

Looper eggs hatch in 3–6 days. Larvae take 2–3 weeks to develop through 6 larval stages before pupating under leaves in a loose silken cocoon.

• Inspect crops weekly during the vegetative stage and twice weekly from very early budding onwards until crops are no longer susceptible to attack (late podding).
• Use beat sheet sampling as the preferred method for looper larvae.
• Scout for looper eggs and moths to pinpoint the start of infestations and to increase the success of biopesticides such as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
• Consider control if leaf loss is likely to exceed 33% in the vegetative stage, or 20% from flowering onwards.

Loopers in summer pulses are attacked by numerous predators and parasites.

• Loopers appear susceptible to insecticides used for helicoverpa control, with the exception of Gemstar® and Vivus® (NPVs—nucleopolyhedrovirus).
• Bt-based pesticides are far more effective against loopers than against helicoverpa but cover thoroughly for best results. Target larvae less than 12mm long.
• Vigorously growing plants are better able to compensate for flower and pod damage, and damaged leaves are replaced more quickly.