Bagworms

It’s that time of the year when we need to be checking in on our evergreen trees and shrubs for bagworms. The insects have recently hatched. Right now, they are tiny but if your tree or shrub has a history of infestation it would be best to give the plant a good inspection. If left unchecked bagworms will feed on the needles of our evergreens eventually defoliating entire branches. Bagworms often go unnoticed because their cocoons resemble pinecones.

Bagworms are best managed when they are small. Low impact options include insecticides with the active ingredients Bacillus thuringiensis or Spinosad. Both ingredients are considered organic and less toxic for the environment. For larger evergreen trees such a spruce it would be best to work with a certified arborist.

We would recommend two applications about ten to 14 days apart (following the label recommendations and rate).

Read more about bagworms and what to do if you think your tree has been infested:

https://grobigred.com/2020/06/04/bagworms-on-the-loose/

You can locate a certified arborist here: https://www.nearborists.org/find-an-arborist-1 or

https://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist