Bagworms bite!
4:13 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, 2008
A wet winter, spring and early summer has made a prime haven for many insects.
"They're everywhere right now," said KTKA Garden Expert, Dave Jackson.
And that pretty much sums it up this year for the bagworm.
Photo courtesy www.insectpod.com
"We are seeing tremendous numbers of bagworms presenting themselves on your evergreens," said Jackson.
And bagworms usually stick to evergreens. But due to an overpopulation of the worms, they're moving to other plants for food.
"Because there are so many of them, they have moved over to other host plants that they wouldn't normally attack. So you will also see them also on your broad-leaf ornamentals as well. People have come in with reports of them on their pears and other trees where you would normally not expect to see them," said Jackson.
Photo courtesy www.ext.vt.edu
Jackson says that they are fairly simple to control early in their lifecycle. There are three different chemicals that should do the trick. Ferti-lome produces two pesticides, one organic, and Carbaryl, a non-organic, that you can dilute and spray on your broad-leaf trees and evergreens. You can also apply a chrysanthemum derivative, 38-Plus, to nab these guys.
Jackson says that you need to act now. The worms have grown to the point that it will become more difficult to knock them down. Jackson recommends the 38-Plus to kill them quickly while they are eating, before they create a bag. Otherwise, you will have to hand-pick them.
Rule of thumb: bagworms bite! And that should help you remember that the best way to kill them, is while they're eating.
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