A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems Arborvitae bagworm?

I think I have a bagworm infestation in my arborvitae. Has anyone else had this problem and if so what should I do? I read that treating them chemically can be done now but isn't as effective as treatment in the spring. It's been 2 summers now that the trees have looked like this. Can I just cut off all of the bags?

[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/dredhaus/4982865536/[/img]

[img]http://www.flickr.com/photos/dredhaus/4982257413/[/img]

That is too bad. Really lovely plants. I would certainly cut of the bags. And then treat with an insecticide with permethrin in May.

Oh, and welcome!

thanks for the welcome and advice Tina!

We used to have Arizona Cypress trees. 1 of the trees got bag worms and before we noticed it was almost dead. We took them off by hand. Gross! Then we sprayed the tree and the top where we couldn't reach. The tree filled back out and looked perfectly normal.

Hello There,
I've also been seeing bag worms pretty bad this year. I've noticed them pretty heavy on my crepe myrtles and persimmion trees. I hate to spray with chemicals unless it's a last resort. Believe it or not I just put my hose on jet spray and spray them right off the tree. I haven't noticed them come back yet and it's been about three weeks since I sprayed them.
Good luck with those nasty, pesky things.

Yes, you can pick them off

Also as other commented, when they are young you can just blast them off with a jet of water.

Chemically if you want to spray when they are young you can do evening spray of Dipel (bt). The caterpillars have to ingest for it to work but is it safe on beneficial insects and wildlife.

Problem is most people wait to treat when the bags are large and the tree is stripped. You need to be treated early in the season.

I am so happy to see our Buglady Suzanne!!!!

..."Educating the world... one bug at a time"

I have been cutting off the bags on the warmer days and throwing them in the firepitto ensure that I done somehow spread them. I don't want to kill off any beneficial insects or wildlife so I will try the bt. My vegetable garden is directly in front of these trees...will the bt be ok to spray around thegarden? When is the best time to apply? I think I read may or June when the bugs are juveniles.