| Why are the needles on my Blue Spruce turning brown and dying. I notice that there are cocoon type sacks covered with needles.some of the sacks are very small some reach lengths of 2 |
| I suspect bagworms are feeding on the needles of your spruce. Bagworms are caterpillars that make distinctive spindle-shaped bags on a variety of trees and shrubs throughout the U.S. Bagworms are the larval (caterpillar) stage of a moth. Bagworms pass the winter as eggs inside the bag that contained the previous year?s female. In mid to late May the eggs hatch, and the tiny larvae crawl out from the end of the bag in search of food. By using silk and bits of plant material, they soon construct a small bag around their hind part that looks like a tiny, upright ice cream cone. As the larvae continue to feed and grow, they enlarge the bag enabling them to withdraw into it when disturbed. Older larvae strip evergreens of their needles and consume whole leaves of susceptible deciduous species, leaving only the larger veins. The bag is ornamented with bits of whatever type of vegetation they are feeding upon. By early fall, the bags reach their maximum size of 1-1/2 to 2 inches. At this time the larvae permanently suspend their bags (pointing downward) from twigs, and transform into the pupa or resting stage before becoming an adult. If only a few small trees or shrubs are infested, picking the bags off by hand and disposing of them may afford satisfactory control. This approach is most effective during fall, winter or early spring before the eggs have hatched. In the spring, the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) provide satisfactory results. The BT products have very low mammalian toxicities, but are only effective against younger larvae. |
