Bagworm Tsunami

[ponytug]

I remember tent caterpillars being a real problem in apple trees 60 years ago, but haven't seen any in years. I don't know why they vanished.

Farmers in the West, from Montana to Nevada, are having a really bad year for grasshoppers. US Farm Report yesterday had a whole segment on barley fields being eaten to the ground by grasshoppers. Pestilence can still destroy farm production. Cow/calf and stocker operations depend on pasture, and we're looking at a lot of starving cows this winter.

USFR 08/07/21 - Farm Journal Report

farmjournaltv.gallery.video

Many years ago a couple of predators and fungi were introduced that prey upon tent caterpillars, which is one reason why they aren't the problem that they used to be.

Spongy Moth - Northern Research Station - USDA Forest Service

Tent caterpillars and tent worms

As with many biological controls, it is a couple of things.

There is a western insect that is similar, but native, and preys upon oaks.

All the best,

Peter

 

[jaxs]

Isn't it interesting how these have disappeared in places while thriving in others. I'm carouse if anyone over the age of 60 has lived in the same area and only noticed these in recent years.

 

[Jstpssng]

We call them eastern tent caterpillars. They grow in cycles, and really seem to like my fruit trees. Earlier this year I noticed a nest on a low lying bush behind my henhouse. I made a note as I was headed over to let the turkeys out, but by the time I got back to it the nest was gone! It seems that they're already earning their feed...

 

[RalphVa]

We call them web worms. Bag worms are in bags like shown by a couple other posters.

DO NOT use Seven to kill them like my neighbor was doing.

First, ask yourself whether they're destructive to the tree. Unless they're pretty much all over it, they actually aren't.

If they are fairly destructive, use BT or Spinosad to get at them or just use a torch on low hanging ones. Burn the web to let them drop so the birds can get at them. Or use a pole pruner to break the webs on as many as you can reach.


Ralph

 

[oldballs]

A few/some Bagworms is no big deal......Thousands of them is another issue. Thousands of them is an issue beyond my control....or beyond my desire to control. We'll see (me and the neighbors) what Mother Nature does about it.

 

[jaxs]

Misuse of pesticides for tent cats or bagworms is no different than other pests. It's relatively easy doing more harm than good by spraying everything in site with overly toxic chemicals. Chlordane was an effective,safe and long lasting treatment for termites when inject well below soil surface. People sprayed food crops,yards and home interiors killing everything that creeped crawled or flew. Besides eradicating benificials,it went on killing for years. It's now banned and nothing come's close for termite control. Sevin will be next because of widespread overuse & mis-use. So as some have said,although not 100% effective it's best to control what you can with a torch or simply desturbing nest with a pole in cases of small populations of tent cats.

 

[mcfarmall]

From Kalamazoo north to about Gaylord the Gypsy moths have completely defoliated entire stands of primarily oak trees. The cocoon husks are covering the trunks of all species of trees, fixtures, anything that they can attach to. There are brown egg masses that look like finely chopped fiberglass on every species of trees. I have never seen anything like this in my life.