Carpet Bagworms

How do bagworms spread.

Carpet bagworms.

Bagworms life cycle are differentiated into separate stages much like any other organism. The evergreen bagworm prefers deciduous and evergreen trees while the snailcase bagworm prefers vegetables ornamentals legumes fruit and other trees. They construct a case or bag from materials in their environment and carry the bag around with them. Males hatch from their bags as moths.

Though they prefer evergreens like juniper arborvitae cedar and spruce. Bagworms are slow spreading because the female doesn t fly around. After hatching usually sometime in may in central maryland they immediately spin a small 1 8 inch long cocoon like bag to which are attached pieces of leaves from the plants they feed upon. There can be up to 1000 eggs in a single bag.

They are covered with dead needles so they appear more noticeable in contrast to the green deciduous needles at this time. When they are ready to pupate they attach the bag to a fixed surface and crawl inside. Get rid of bagworms by handpicking. In another trial attacks on bagworms by parasitoid insects increased by a factor of three when host plants were surrounded by a high density of.

The eggs hatch in mid may and the tiny larval use silk and plant material to construct a small bag around its hind parts. Here is a glimpse into the various bagworm life stages the eggs of bagworm moths hatch in end of may and beginning of june. If you find just a few bagworms you may have caught the infestation early enough that you can effectively control the situation by handpicking the bags off the. Once they ve found a tree to call home bagworms start munching.

The bagworm host plant was an arborvitae cultivar thuja occidentalis woodwardii. Bagworms are prolific breeders and simply spread by the adult female moth depositing her eggs all over your property. Bagworm egg sacks are brown and one and a half to two inches 3 8 to 5 cm long. On evergreens they ll eat lots of the buds and foliage causing branch tips to turn brown and then die.

Bagworms are actually the larval or caterpillar stages of moths. Knowing how to get rid of bagworms is half the battle. Begin looking for bagworms during the winter or early spring. They find a female still in her bag and mate.

If you look closely you will see them moving around as they feed on the plant. After they hatch the small larvae emerge and will begin to feed. The eggs are small and look like pale bluish seeds that are stuck on surfaces usually in a dark area or hidden from view. Once the eggs hatch the larva spins a silk strand that hangs down it.

Treatment for bagworms can only start at certain times during their lifecycle. However winds can blow the worms from plant to plant which will spread bagworms quite efficiently. Bagworms will attack more than 120 different types of trees. How to get rid of bagworms.

The larva is also transported to nearby plants by wind. Bagworm sacks can be very hard to find because they look like pine cones.