What's eating my wild jasmine?

Wild jasmine (Jasminum angulare), indigenous to South Africa, can host hawk moth caterpillars (Oleander and Death's Head hawk moths) whose larvae consume foliage, alongside the usual jasmine pests of spider mites and mealybugs. Hawk moth caterpillars are distinctive and the most impactful defoliator; the plant generally recovers without treatment.

Large, fast-growing larvae consume leaves rapidly; entire shoots can be stripped; distinctive large caterpillars are easy to spot Hand-pick and relocate — these are spectacular native moths; apply Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) only if defoliation is severe and the plant is at risk

Pale stippling and bronzing on leaf surfaces with fine webbing beneath; worse in hot, dry conditions Hose down foliage; apply insecticidal soap or neem oil to undersides of leaves; improve humidity around the plant

White waxy wool in leaf axils and stem junctions; sap-feeding causes weak, distorted growth and honeydew deposits Remove with alcohol-dipped cotton bud for small infestations; spray neem oil or insecticidal soap for larger outbreaks; prune badly affected stems