What Evil Lurks in YOUR Shrubbery?

BAG WORMS

"Nice looking evergreen shrubbery.  Bet ya would hate to lose it"  is what I imagine little bag worms saying to home owners. These caterpillars are a nemesis of evergreens...

This shrub, at first blush, looks OK...

...until you zero in on this thing.

This is  bag worm in its "home."

People sometimes mistake bagworms for some natural part of their evergreen, like a pine cone (they have an upside-down pine cone sort of appearance).  But they contain a destructive caterpillar, one that secretes a gooey substance and builds a "house" of sorts for itself.  Bagworms prefer juniper, arborvitae, spruce, pine, and cedar, but may also attack deciduous trees. A serious infestation can kill a tree, smaller infestations can cause death of portions of the plant,
The best organic remedy is to catch the infestation early, and cut each bag off the plant.  This may be impossible if the plant in question is a large tree.  On this case,  Bt, spinosads and pyrethrins are organic controls, but must be applied in May or June, when larvae are small and susceptible.  After they build their "home" they are less susceptible to pesticides and other controls.  In any case, cut off the bags you can reach before you spray.

Happy gardening!
And Happy St. Pat's Day, the traditional day to plant your peas!