David Owens, Extension Entomologist, owensd@udel.edu
Bagworm larvae are active in Georgetown. I usually get a couple of phone calls towards the end of summer asking what to do with heavily defoliated hedges and privacy screening trees. By then, control is more difficult and most of the damage has been done. This is the time to control bagworms, especially if there are a large number of overwintered 2024 bags present and the planting was significantly impacted last year. Small bagworms glue plant material around them, but instead of hanging down, they point up and are cone shaped. A common term for the appearance of small larvae is a ‘dunce cap’. Bt and spinosyns and diamides are relatively soft on beneficials and highly effective on small larvae.
Extension Entomology Videos
Every couple of weeks, we have been posting short video clips on the UD YouTube page. Subscribe or check it for new updates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pE0ACqg0eI&list=PLI-ZR4Jwy4gKGrAPEgN8wM2djE4baatjK.