Are trees getting brown in the yard? Are needles falling off frequently from pine trees? Are plants losing their color? If this is the situation in your garden, bagworms are suspected to invade.
In this post, we’ll learn how to identify bagworms and inspect them for killing.
How to get rid of bagworms? To kill naturally, dissolve bagworms in soapy water. Plus introduce predator birds and bacteria for toxic-free killing. For vast area eradications chemical-based spray with acephate and cyfluthrin. Moreover Supreme IT is a labeled product for bagworm killing.
It’s super easy to get rid of a few bagworms. You can remove them manually. Just handpick them to dispose of properly. If you fail to catch the infestation early, it can be a big challenge.
Identifying Bagworms: Inspection Tips
Unfortunately, it is not easy to identify bagworm infestation. The reason is that they reside in a bag resembling pine cones. This resemblance can confuse the yard owners. Below are a few notable traits to identify bagworms:
- They create spindle-like bags where they reside
- They have little spines throughout the body
- The bag is soft and made up of soil or foliage
- The color of bagworms is brown or mixed with white
- Females bagworms will never leave the bag through life
- Male moths have colorless wings and resemble moths n adulthood
- The bag is full of eggs about 500 to 1000 eggs each
- Keep the image in mind to identify properly
Tips For Bag worms Inspection
If you are inspecting your yard for bagworm infestation, keep the following helpful tips in mind. Let’s check out:
- Bagworms never invade indoors. They live on vegetation. They prefer to live on evergreen trees and deciduous trees. They primarily reside on conifers like juniper, pine, arborvitae, cedar, and spruce.
- Search them on yellowing cones and leaves.
- They differ in size from pine cones. The spines of pine and worm bag are different. The latter has hanging spines throughout their life.
10 Effective Ways Ro Get Rid Of Bagworms
After identification and inspection, take no time to apply eradication methods. They can destroy vast areas of vegetation if you fail to take action quickly. There are several effective ways to kill bagworms. You can kill them naturally by putting them in soapy water, introducing predator birds, and bagworm-killing bacteria. For large-scale eradication use chemical sprays. Let’s check out 10 effective ways to get rid of bagworms:
#1-Put Bagworms In Soapy Water
The simple yet time-consuming technique of killing bagworms is to handpick them and then put them in soapy water. When you see moths on plants, it’s the best time to apply this technique. Get ready! Put on gloves and start picking moths one by one. Keep a bucket full of soapy water near you. After picking drop them in water. The soapy water has the tendency to dissolve the body of the bagworm slowly. This technique works well when moths fall from bags. Dont spray soapy water on plants, it’s far more damaging than bagworms.
#2- Invite Bagworm Preying Birds
The best technique to get rid of this worm is to activate the natural define mechanism. If we invite bagworm predating birds and insects to the yard, its invasion can be reduced considerably. Try to install feeders to attract vivacious predator birds of bagworms like Titmice, chickadees, and nuthatches. They will not only eat up moths but also destroy eggs. Sparrows are one of the most active predators of this worm. To attract sparrows hang feeders and place water. You can also facilitate predator birds by putting nesting material in the yard.
#3- Introduce Bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis
The safest way to kill this worm is to introduce Bt Bacillus thuringiensis. This treatment method is effective only if applied right after the egg hatches. The drawback of this method is that it is not applicable to adult larva. Moreover, it’s not easy to find Bt. you need to have special equipment to dig them out of the soil. The solution to this problem is to use Bt-rich products to kill bagworms such as Thuricide and Dipel. Infestation experts advise using this product to kill bagworms after every 10 days.
#4- Spray Diluted Neem Oil On Affected Tree
Neem oil contains vigorous insecticidal agents named hydrophobic extracts. Its fragrance and texture can kill bagworms by causing suffocation. Though it works only in the hatching stage, not effective for the larval stage. All you need to do is to pour the neem oil into the bottle and spray it directly n the affected area. It is safe for plants as compared to soapy water and Bt sprays. However, ingesting it can cause gastrointestinal issues. So becareful!
#5- Introduce Trichogramma Minutum Moth Parasite
This wasp is parasitic. It has the ability to kill approximately 300 bagworm eggs within 7 to 14 days of total life. If you see indoor vegetation affected by this worm, purchase this parasite and introduce it to the affected area. The problem will solve quickly without using any toxic chemicals or insecticides. However, it’s not easy to find these wasps. The reason is that they have a very short lifespan.
#6- Use Chemical-Based Bagworm Insecticides
The chemical-based insecticides containing malathion, diazinon, or carbaryl are effective against bagworm. Acephate and cyfluthrin are also active chemical killers of this worm. However, they are toxic to plants and not good for the environment. It’s better to hire a professional insect controller for a chemical-based spray of bagworms.
#7- Use Organic Based Bagworm Insecticides
Organic insecticides are environmentally friendly products. They help to kill worms fastly. Spinosad is the least harmful organic insecticide effective against bagworms. It is applied directly to affected trees, branches, and leaves. However, it can kill bees. It’s not 100% safe for all insects.
#8- Grow Plants That Attract Insects To Eat Bagworms
Another natural defense mechanism against bagworms is to grow plants that attract insects to eat bagworms. It’s important to grow flowering plants near conifers. Flowering funnels attract wasps and insects that eat up bagworms. Experts suggest replacing bagworm attractive trees with Morella’s, Holies, and Magnolias.
#9- Use Supreme IT For Large Scale Bagworms Eradication
If you find a big area is infected by bagworms in the yard, it’s time to apply Supreme It spray. This insecticide is specially manufactured for killing bagworms. It is labeled as bagworm killer spray.
To apply it on the lawn. First, measure the affected square yard. It is applied with a ratio f of 0.18 to 0.25 fl. oz. per gallon of water. Put this in a hand pump and start spraying. Don’t forget to wear a face mask and gloves. It will last up to 90 days after spray.
#10- Seek Pro Help
The abovementioned techniques are all do-it-yourself. If you think it’s unsafe to apply chemicals yourself, it’s time to seek pro pest controller help. Before taking action, make sure you choose the experienced person. It’s your right to question the chosen pest controller company about anything you have in your mind. You can check the experience certification, insecticide broacher, and anything to satisfy your impulse.
If you’re worried about hammerhead worm infestation, read this article.
Wrapping UP
Finally, there are multiple ways to kill bagworms. It depends on how much area is affected mainly. The methods of killing bagworms may vary with different developmental stages. For the eradication of eggs, the bird and wasp introduction method is safest. For moth and larva killing, you can use both organic and chemical-based sprays. To prevent this worm from invading again, it is important to dispose of it in plastic bags properly.
