This month's Tree Tip was written and researched by Britt Hubbard, Director of Plant Health Care and ISA Certified Arborist #SO-5792A. He may be contacted directly via email with questions concerning this article or any tree and shrub issues.
Bagworms are caterpillars that reside in a protective silk bag and attach plant foliage to the bag for camouflage. The caterpillars move thoughout infested trees feeding on foliage as they grow. Though bagworms can be present year-round, they do their worst damage from June to September each year. They damage trees and landscape plants throughout Memphis and the surrounding area.
The Damage They Do
Bagworms can attack a variety of hardwood and evergreen plants, but prefer Leyland Cypress, Arborvitae, Cedars and all juniper plants.
Bagworms reach maturity during the summer and can quickly defoliate infested trees. Infested and susceptible plants need to be treated for control to prevent damage. The caterpillars spin silk and attach foliage taken from their host in the form of cone shaped bags.
Once a tree is defoliated they will drop and crawl to a different host. Infestations are capable of killing large trees.
Signs include brown foliage, chewed foliage on the ground, and brown or green pellet droppings on the ground. Bagworms can be seen as early as late spring.
Let Us Help
If you see bagworms, their damage, or have susceptible plants, please call Woodland Tree Service. We will be happy to treat your plants to control the bagworms and prevent further damage.
While on site our Arborists and Plant Health Care Technicians can evaluate your landscape and offer a full Plant Health Care plan. As with all plant health care issues, prevention and monitoring is the best treatment.
Please contact Britt Hubbard, Director of Plant Health Care, or any of our other arborists. You can reach Britt at (901) 309-6779 or email him at firstname.lastname@example.org.