bagworms in Smithville, Missouri
Posted by RS Landscape
Bye-bye Bagworms!
If you are seeing spindle-shaped bags that look like small pinecones on your evergreen trees , you are facing a problem with bagworms in Smithville, Missouri. Evergreen bagworms are the most common in this area, but don’t let the name fool you, they don’t just affect evergreen trees. These little pests can use over 100 different plants and trees as food. This perennial insect gets its name from the silken bag it constructs around itself.
How Harmful are bagworms in Smithville, Missouri?
Bagworms winter as eggs inside the spindle-shaped bags on deciduous and evergreen trees. Each bag can contain up to 1000 eggs. By mid-May the eggs hatch and the tiny larvae use silk and plant material to construct a small bag around itself. As the larvae feed and grow, so does the bag. The larvae eat needles and leaves and as young caterpillars they feed on the upper parts of plants, leaving holes in the leaves. We have seen infestations of bagworms in Smithville, Missouri and as far south as north Kansas City.
How to get rid of the bagworms?
When infestations of bagworms are detected early, control is much easier. Once the population numbers begin to multiply and spread, thanks to the wind that will blow the bags away from their original tree, control will require more work. If bagworm infestations are not noticed until late summer, not only will the numbers be higher but the bagworms will have aged enough to make them less susceptible to insecticide. Bagworms can cause substantial damage if left untreated, including killing the host trees. For this reason it is important to immediately confront the appearance of bagworms in Smithville, Missouri. Call R&S Lawn and Sprinkler today at (816)532-4999 to set up an appointment for our professionals to come out and start the treatment of these invasive insects.