When To Spray For Bagworms In Maryland? 2023 - Traveling across the country in a small van

When To Spray For Bagworms In Maryland?

03.12.2022 Irving S. Martin 0 Comments

How to Control Bagworms –

In fall and winter, remove and destroy bags containing the overwintering eggs of bagworms. The bags are attached tightly to branches, so you may need small clippers to cut them off. Put them in the trash.
In the spring – late May to early June – look for the small bags forming on plants, especially on evergreens. An ideal time to control bagworms is in early June when the young caterpillars are small and beginning to make their cocoons.
Infested plants can be sprayed with B.t. (Bacillus thuringiensis) to kill the young caterpillars.

Learn more about and other common landscape on the website. Have a question about tree and shrub care? Submit your question to, By Mary Kay Malinoski, Extension Specialist, University of Maryland Extension, Home & Garden Information Center

Contents

0.1 What time of year do you spray for bagworms?

1 How often should you spray for bagworms?
2 Is it too late to spray for bagworms?
3 What is the best spray to kill bagworms?
- 3.1 Will bagworms come back every year?
4 How do you keep bagworms from coming back?
5 Will Evergreen come back after bagworms?
6 How do you get rid of a bagworm infestation?
7 Can bagworms live through winter?
- 7.1 Can bagworms be prevented?
8 Will arborvitae recover from bagworms?
9 Will Sevin get rid of bagworms?
- - 9.0.1 Will Dawn dish soap kill bagworms?
10 What is a natural predator for bagworms?
11 When Should I spray my arborvitae?
- 11.1 Will Evergreen come back after bagworms?

What time of year do you spray for bagworms?

Treatment Recommendations – Chemical control products include Ferti-Lome Natural Guard Caterpillar Killer Spray with Bt containing bacillus thuringiensis, which works by disrupting digestive system of the bagworms. Ferti-Lome Natural Guard also makes a great product containing spinosad which works both on contact and is toxic when ingested by insects (product name is Spinosad or Spinosad Soap).

Hi-Yield 38 Plus, containing permethrin, is also effective. Bonide Systemic Insect Control containing acephate will also control bagworms. We carry all of these control methods. Bottomline, put treatment of evergreens on your gardening calendar. Early summer is the best time to treat for this pest, typically.

If you miss this opportunity, the effectiveness of control decreases greatly. If you have bagworms this year, plan to spray again next year (mid-May) to catch any young caterpillars that hatch next season. Posted on June 7, 2022 by – : How to Control Bagworms in Your Landscape

How often should you spray for bagworms?

June is prime time to watch for and control destructive pest – June 4, 2020 MANHATTAN, Kan. – They’re masters of hiding in plain sight, those woody-looking bags that hang from evergreens and other broadleaf plants and shrubs this time of year. But bagworms can be destructive to their host plants, so now’s the time to scout your trees and shrubs and take steps to manage them, according to a Kansas State University entomologist.

“Although the cool weather we experienced this spring slowed development, and consequently larvae hatching from eggs, bagworm caterpillars will eventually be present throughout Kansas, feeding on broadleaf and evergreen trees and shrubs,” said Raymond Cloyd, entomologist with K-State Research and Extension.

“So, be prepared to act against bagworms once they are observed on plants.” Bagworms are primarily a pest of conifers, those trees that bear cones and have needle-like leaves, such as pines, redcedar and junipers. They also sometimes feed on other plants, including broadleafs such as rose, honey locust, hackberry, and flowering plum.

Cloyd said it is important to apply insecticides when bagworms are less than one-fourth inch long to maximize effectiveness of insecticide applications and reduce plant damage. Several insecticides are labeled for use against bagworms, including those with the following active ingredients: acephate, Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki, cyfluthrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, trichlorfon, indoxacarb, chlorantraniliprole, and spinosad, he said.

Most of these active ingredients are commercially available and sold under various trade names or as generic products, although some may not be directly available to homeowners. Managing this insect pest requires some persistence by homeowners, Cloyd said, adding that applying insecticides must happen early and frequently enough to kill the highly susceptible young caterpillars feeding on plant foliage.

Frequent applications are essential because the larvae do not hatch from eggs simultaneously, but rather hatch over time depending on temperature. In addition, young bagworms can ‘blow in’ (called ‘ballooning’) from neighboring plants on silken threads. If left unchecked, they can cause significant damage and ruin the aesthetic quality of plants, and in some cases, kill plants.

Newly transplanted small evergreens are the most susceptible, because evergreens do not usually produce another flush of growth after being fed upon or defoliated by bagworms. “Applying insecticides weekly for four to five weeks when bagworms are first noticed will reduce problems with bagworms later in the year,” Cloyd said.

The bacterium, Bt kurstaki, which is sold under various trade names, is only active on young caterpillars and must be consumed or ingested to be effective, so thorough coverage of all plant parts and frequent applications are required.
The insecticide degrades in sunlight and rainfall, which reduces its residual activity, Cloyd said.

Spinosad is the active ingredient in several homeowner products, including Natural Guard Spinosad; Captain Jack’s DeadBug Brew; and Monterey Garden Insect Spray. Although it works by contact, the best control is when bagworms ingest it. Cyfluthrin (BioAdvanced Vegetable & Garden Insect Spray), lambda-cyhalothrin (Spectracide Triazicide, Bonide Caterpillar Killer), trichlorfon, chlorantraniliprole, and indoxacarb can also be used against young caterpillars.

Finally, Cloyd said, it’s important to get thorough coverage of all plant parts when treating with an insecticide, especially the tops of trees and shrubs where bagworms commonly start feeding. Questions about managing bagworms can be directed to your county or district horticulture agent, In addition, a new publication, Bagworm: Insect Pest of Trees and Shrubs is available free online.

Cloyd and his counterparts in K-State’s Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources produce a weekly Horticulture Newsletter with tips for keeping yards healthy year-round. The newsletter is available to view online or can be delivered by email each week.

Is it too late to spray for bagworms?

For many areas in southern Iowa (“bagworm territory”), it is now too late to treat for bagworms. If the caterpillars are no longer visible and feeding, if the bags are no longer moving, then it is too late to treat. When the caterpillars have tied the bag to the twig, sealed it shut they are pupating inside and no further feeding will occur.

The photos below from Madison County Extension and Jeromoy Baumbach show the difference of what bagworm bags look like when the caterpillars are active, and what they look like after the caterpillars are done feeding and growing for the summer. Note the sealed end and the silken strap that connected the bag to the twig in the lower photo.

When the caterpillars are no longer feeding, the tree will not experience additional damage beyond what has already occurred, and most importantly, spraying after that point is a complete and counterproductive waste of time and money. Even if caterpillars are still visible, spraying this late in the season may not be effective. Bagworm with caterpillar exposed. Photo by Jeromy Baumbach. Bagworm bags after caterpillars are finished feeding. Photo by Molly Allen.

What is the best spray to kill bagworms?

(Last Updated On: September 17, 2015) The brown, spindle shaped bags in this image are the cases of bagworms, a caterpillar that can be a pest in dozens of different trees. You’ve been watching your arborvitae all summer and noticing brown, spindle-shaped sacs hanging from the branches. Someone points out to you that these are bagworms, a case-making caterpillar that feeds on leaves and can be highly damaging, especially to evergreen trees and shrubs like arborvitae and cedar.

Now it’s late September, what do you do? Before I answer that question, it’s worth pointing out that bagworms are interesting insects with a decidedly non-traditional life cycle. Bagworms are not really worms, but caterpillars, the immature stages of a nondescript moth. They are called bagworms because, shortly after they are born, they begin spinning a silken case or sac around themselves, using silk from glands associated with their mouth.

The case is added to continually as the caterpillar grows. The caterpillar feeds on the host plant by sticking its head and legs out of the top of the bag and chewing on nearby leaves. Its legs grasp the branch of the host plant, and propel the caterpillar like a kid cruising the monkeybars. A now-empty case of a male bagworm is marked by the pupal “skin” left dangling from the bottom of the sac. The presence of these empty cases signals the end of a generation of bagworm feeding. Bagworms have one generation each year in Texas (some species possibly two).

Once the larvae are fully grown they stop feeding. Males pupate and emerge as adults, usually a little before the female. Adult male moths exit the bag through the bottom, and fly off in search of a mate. Females also pupate, but the adult female that emerges is eyeless, wingless and legless. She remains in her bag, emitting a pheromone to alert males to her presence.

Male moths locate the female bags and mate. Once mated the female gestates her eggs and dies, leaving a bag full of eggs that will hatch the following spring. Once both male and female bagworms enter this last phase of life, feeding is over and so is any chance for effective control with insecticides.

Bagworm bags are made of tightly woven silk and bits of leaves from their food plant. For this reason, the caterpillars, pupae and eggs inside are well protected from insecticides. Only when actively feeding are bagworms vulnerable to insecticide sprays. So it’s late summer. Is it too late to spray for bagworms? That’s a good question, and will require some close observation on your part.

If you have a bagworm-infested tree, pull off as many bags as you can for a quick inspection. Do you see red-brown pupal skins sticking out from the bottoms of many of the cases? If so, this is an indication that pupation and mating by at least some of the bagworms has begun.

Are the cases easy to pull off the tree, or are they tightly bound with thick silk? Cases with thick bands of silk attaching them to the branch are an indication that the caterpillar has started the process of pupation, mating or egg laying.
Open up some cases with a pointed knife or scissors.
Do you find caterpillars still in the cases? If so, a spray may be worthwhile.

If most cases are empty, or have only pupal skins or eggs inside, you’ve missed your chance this year to treat. Bagworms are slow to spread. Notice that the infestation damaging the middle tree has not yet spread to adjacent trees. If you’ve missed your chance to spray this summer, that’s OK. Your bagworms will do no further damage this year. You have two options: wait until next spring to treat, or consider handpicking bags from trees during the winter or early spring.

Because female bagworms do not have wings, and there is only one generation a year, bagworm infestations are usually slow to spread. This means that on smaller trees, or trees that are deciduous (making the bags easy to spot), handpicking can sometimes eliminate or greatly reduce an infestation. Trees picked clean of bags are unlikely to become re-infested the following year.

Your other treatment option is to wait until spring when bagworms hatch (usually May to early June) to treat the tree. A relatively easy way to know the best time to treat emerging bagworms is to remove a number of bags from a tree and place outdoors in a screened jar in a shady spot.

When the eggs hatch and young caterpillars are seen inside the jar, chances are that eggs are also hatching on your trees. Sprays such as Bacillus thuringiensis, spinosad and any of the pyrethroid insecticides are effective on bagworms, especially early in the season. Late season infestations, when bagworm caterpillars are larger and more difficult to kill, are best treated with pyrethroid sprays.

For more information on bagworms, including photos of many of the life stages, see the excellent publication by the University of Florida,

Will bagworms come back every year?

Bagworms can be found all around the world. They may go unnoticed when they first arrive but within a short period of time they can multiply to huge numbers. Bagworm damage is easy to spot and if not controlled will cause plant and tree death. For this reason bagworms are a nuisance pest and one that needs treatment if you find them active in your landscape.

Related articles: APHIDS APPLE MAGGOTS BARK BEETLES BUDWORMS CUCUMBER BEETLES THRIPS TWIG GIRDLERS WHITE FLYS Bagworms will grow through four stages like any other insect. Eggs hatch in the spring and will feed close to if not on the very same plant or tree their mother fed. Bagworm larva will create a “bag” around themselves as they feed.

Composed of silk and plant debris, this bag will grow in size to fit them as spring becomes summer and their bodies get larger. To the right is a picture of a larvae which used grass clippings to build its bag. At some point in the summer the larva bagworms will spin a protective cocoon and pupate. Within a couple of weeks, these protective cocoons will release adults. The adults are moths; gray in color and though they don’t feed, they will hang around the same trees their young target. As male adults emerge from their cocoons, they will fly off in search of females. Adult females which emerge can’t fly like their male counterparts. Instead they prepare their “bags” for the soon to be laid eggs and wait patiently for a male to find them.

These bags will be located on trees but also underneath since some will naturally fall off from weather events, rotting branches on the host tree, etc. But regardless of where the female awaits, the flying males will be able to find them. Once males reach receptive females, they will mate and soon afterwards, the males will die.

Females will continue on and will start laying eggs 5-10 days after they mate. But within 2-3 weeks, they will die off as well leaving nothing but egg laden bags ready to re-infest your trees. If egg laying occurs early enough in summer, two generations of bagworms may cycle per season. In most areas, there is only time for one per year. Eggs laid at summers end will lay in wait for the following spring to emerge and start anew. Bagworms eat plant and tree leaves and can cause substantial damage if left alone.

They love most any arborvitae but will also eat maple, boxelder, willow, black locust, poplar, oak, apple, cherry, persimmon and just about anything with green leafy leaves. For this reason it’s important that local activity is duly noted and then confronted. Failure to deal with initial stages will mean more will arrive.

And if left to expand as they want, it will lead to more damage and in some cases, home invasions. Since each female will lay 500-1000 eggs, a couple can turn into many thousand within a year and these bagged pests will need a good home on which to reside.

The good news is bagworm control is easy to initiate and maintain.
The key is early detection and when detected, using the right treatment based on the season.
If you’ve identified activity, treat as much of the plant or tree as well as the surrounding foliage of other plants.
This insures you get them all.

A good and thorough application in the spring can many times keep local populations in check so its never too early to spray. However, if you find a large infestation late in the year, treat once every two weeks till you don’t see anymore. Late season applications won’t have nearly the affect of early spring time treatments for two reasons.

First, the young larva are much more susceptible in the spring. They’re extra “weak” so chemical treatments have a better impact. Treating late in the season when bagworms have reached maturity means you’re dealing with a stronger pest and one that’s more protected since they will be living inside their “bag”.

Secondly, the pupae stage of bagworms is not susceptible to any treatment. Their cocoon will protect them from chemical applications and only when they hatch out can they be affected. For this reason it’s important that you do multiple applications when treating late in the year.

Repeat treatments assures you’ll have good protection to get each release of female and male pupae from their bags. For organic gardeners, MULTIPURPOSE INSECT KILLER is a good choice. It’s both strong enough and approved for organic gardening so it’s safe for use on vegetable and fruit plants. But you will have to apply it several times.

Expect to be spraying 1-2 a week till the problem is resolved and no activity is achieved. Add 6 oz per gallon of water and use the mixture to spray fruit trees, vegetables like tomatoes or peppers as well as grape vines. Multipurpose Insect Killer will work within a day so exposed larvae and adults will die immediately. Since bagworms tend to hide well, they can go unnoticed when trees are green throughout the summer and fall. But as winter arrives, their dormant bags can be easy to spot. If you have evergreens like Leyland Cypress or some tree harboring dormant bags, treat them with DORMANT OIL SPRAY, During the spring, summer or fall, the strongest and best concentrate to apply is MAXTHOR. Its fast working and goes a long way. Maxxthor is oil based which enables it to penetrate bagworm bags much better compared to most any other concentrate. Use it monthly when bagworms are first active; once they ‘re gone, treat every 2 months to make sure they don’t return. For low heights 15 feet or less, our BUGSPRAY PUMP SPRAYER will be able to reach and is well suited for small jobs where 1-2 gallons of mixed material is needed. It comes with a range of spray tips including a pin stream that can deliver a laser like spray up to 15 feet high. For highest reach, get one of our NO PUMP SPRAYERS, This vunique sprayer is simple yet very good, easy to use and one of our “favs” for applying insecticides to your homes exterior and landscape (its too powerful for use inside). Ideally suited for reaching heights of 40+ feet, it has no moving parts other than the valve you hold for spraying and the adjustable brass “bullet” nozzle.

This sprayer is essentially a tank that can hold water, chemical and up to 130 psi of air.
The top lid has a clamp and rubber gasket that seats on the “inside” of the sprayer so as you fill it with air, the seal will naturally remain in place, nice and tight.
The top has 3 “ports” (pic below).
The port to the far left is used to fill the tank with air.

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Using any electric air pump (the kind you would use the fill tires on your car), you can safely pressurize this sprayer up to 80 psi. The tank is rated for up to 130 lbs but the relief valve will only allow you to fill it to 80-90 psi before it starts to release.

This happens as a safety precautionary action.
For normal use around the home, 50-60 psi should be enough for you empty the liquid from the 2.5 gallon tank assuming you only add 1 gallon of mixed product.
True, the sprayer can “hold” 2.5 gallons of liquid but you need room for the air.
Our tests show that 50-60 psi will pump out an entire gallon of spray allowing you to reach 25-30 feet heights.

For reaching 40+ feet or higher targets, pressurize the sprayer to 80 psi and again, mix up only what you plan on using and no more than 1 gallon of mixed solution at one time so the tank has enough room left to store all the needed “air”. One charge of 80 psi is enough to get the entire mixture to spray out so you don’t have to be concerned about constantly recharging. 3 GALLON SETUP ( remember to only fill it with 1 to 1.5 gallons of mixed solution so you leave room for air ) $300.00 (287757) ( 10% OFF WHEN ORDERING ONLINE ) 5 GALLON SETUP ( remember to only fill it with 2.5 to 3 gallons of mixed solution so you leave room for air ) $350.00 (287774) ( 10% OFF WHEN ORDERING ONLINE ) WATCH THIS VIDEO ON THE “NO PUMP” SPRAYER FOR OPERATIONAL DETAILS Lastly, another option is our 20 GALLON HOSE END SPRAYER, This sprayer hooks up to your garden hose and uses the water pressure of your water supply to pump out chemical from the small holding tank underneath the spray handle. This sprayer will be more “wasteful” compared to the pump or trombone sprayer but it can reach up quite high if you have decent water pressure. Bagworms can become a problem on most any tree or plant in the yard if given the chance to survive. If you suspect you have some feeding or foraging on your property, do some spraying early in the season to minimize damage. If its winter when you find them, its just as wise to spray then too using the Dormant Oil listed above.

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How do you keep bagworms from coming back?

Or, Control Bagworms with Chemicals – An insecticide with malathion, diazinon, or carbaryl (such as Ortho Tree & Shrub Insect Killer, available on Amazon ) can rid you of a bagworm problem if applied to bushes and trees when the worms are still young larvae. Photo: flickr.com via Dick Culbert Pest problems? Find licensed pest control experts in your area and get free, no-commitment estimates for your project. +

Will Evergreen come back after bagworms?

Bagworms are ‘generalists’ – While many insects are very host-specific, bagworms are generalists. They feed on over 100 species of trees and shrubs, including arborvitae, crabapple, honeylocust, juniper, maple, oak, pine, spruce, sweet gum, and sycamore. Cocoons or dense bags protect a bagworm from insecticidal sprays and need to be hand removed at this advanced stage of development. These native insects overwinter as eggs in the bags of female adults. The larvae hatch out from mid-May to early June and immediately begin feeding and constructing bags from silk they produce and bits of leaves from their host plants. Peek-a-Boo! Bagworm on an Arborvitae. Cocoons are difficult to see since they blend in so well with evergreen foliage. Larvae continue to feed and grow through the summer months, sticking their heads out of their bags to feed and move about on host plants.

They begin to pupate in August by securely attaching themselves to twigs and/or inanimate objects.
Then they seal up their bags and re-orient themselves so they are facing downward.
They are no longer feeding when they pupate.
Adult bagworms are moths, although females lack wings and remain grub-like; they never leave their bags.

Adult males are non-descript, charcoal-gray moths with clear wings that hatch out of their bags and fly to mate with the females in late summer and early fall. Males die after mating and females die after laying 500-1,000 eggs in each bag. Bagworm damage on an Arborvitae. At this late stage is when the damage becomes all too apparent on an arborvitae. They fact that females do not fly allows large populations to build up on host plants in a short period of time. Very tiny larvae can be blown in the wind, and they can crawl from tree to tree when plants are relatively close together.

They are also spread on infested nursery stock.
Controls include removing the cases from infested plants by hand, especially between now and when they hatch next spring.
Male cases can be left to weather off the plants since all the eggs are in female bags.
It can be easy to tell the difference: male bags tend to be smaller than female bags, and the pupal case often extends out of the bottom of the bag where the male emerged as an adult.

If in doubt, pick it. Hand removal is the only effective option at this time of year. The silk bagworms use to attach themselves to twigs is very strong and usually has to be cut with scissors or hand pruners in order to remove it without damaging the plant. Circled Area in photo: This is the best stage (early) to treat bagworms on this Douglas fir. If plants are too large for hand removal, spray applications are best directed at very small larvae. Since they are caterpillars, small larvae are well controlled with least toxic products such as Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt (Dipel, Thuricide, others) and spinosad (Captain Jack’s Deadbug Brew, Monterey Garden Insect Spray, others).

Larger bagworms can be controlled with carbaryl (Seven, others); cyfluthrin (Bayer Advanced PowerForce Multi Insect Killer); and malathion. If your trees are very large, consider hiring a tree service to make the application for you. Many have certified arborists on staff, and have the equipment and training to effectively and safely spray large trees.

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How do you get rid of a bagworm infestation?

Bagworm Prevention – Prevention is the key when it comes to bagworms! The best way to ensure that bagworms will not infest your trees is to spray permethrin on the bagworms in May. This treatment will kill the caterpillars and disrupt their reproduction cycle. For, For more updates, visit our : How to Get Rid of Bagworms – Green Side Up Garden & Gifts

Can bagworms live through winter?

Check Evergreens in Early June to See if Bagworms Survived Winter Purdue University Extension Entomologist Cliff Sadof shares tips on handling bagworms as they hatch this month. Throughout the landscape, stands of junipers, spruce, pine and arborvitae are pocked with brown skeletons of dying trees that were defoliated by bagworms last year.

This vivid reminder of last year’s devastation may make you wonder if there is anything you can do to stop bagworms from coming back and eating what’s left of your evergreens. Fortunately, there are many ways to control bagworms and June is the best month to begin. Start by learning the bagworm’s life cycle and how to recognize an active infestation.

Then use this information to determine the best way to battle bagworms in your yard.

If you find fewer than 10 bagworm bags on a given evergreen, remove them by hand and kill the pests by dropping the bags in soapy water. A larger infestation may require insecticides. Photo: Clemson University

Bagworms are not really worms. They are actually caterpillars of moths. Bagworm caterpillars spend most of their lives in silk-lined bags that are covered with leaves they cut from plants. These camouflaged bags allow the caterpillars to hide from hungry birds and other predators while also offering protection from the elements.

In late August, male caterpillars become adults and sprout wings.
They then fly to find females and mate.
Mated adult females never leave their bags.
Instead, they continue feeding until they permanently tie their bags to twigs.
They then lay up to 1,500 pearly yellow eggs, and die.
These eggs remain inside the mother’s bodies throughout the winter.

In early June, eggs begin to hatch and tiny ‘naked’ bagworms crawl onto leaves to begin feeding and building their own protective bags. Eggs continue to hatch over a month-long period. On heavily crowded trees where there may not be enough food for all the hatchlings and some caterpillars will crawl to the tops of trees and dangle from silk threads.

Wind catches the threads and blows the tiny insects to new trees where they will begin to feed and build bags. With each female producing so many offspring, you may wonder why there are any trees left. Fortunately, not all bagworm caterpillars survive. Many are killed by cold weather, birds, rodents and small parasitic wasps.

Frigid winter weather probably killed many bagworm eggs before spring arrived. Also, in the winter, brown bags containing eggs are more easily seen by birds and rodents who use them for a meal. Finally, two types of parasitic wasps were busy this fall and spring feasting on a diet of eggs.

Despite their problems, many bagworms are likely to have survived the winter. The first step to protect your trees and shrubs is to thoroughly examine them for the presence of overwintering bagworms. If you find less than 10 bags per plant, immediately pick them off and kill them by dropping them in a bucket of soapy water.

If you have more than 10 bagworms per plant, you might want to spray young caterpillars with an insecticide after they have hatched from eggs. Look closely at foliage for small bags covered with green leaves to detect live infestations at least once each week.

Spray bagworms with insecticide only after you find live bagworms. Several materials can be sprayed control bagworms. The preferred foliar insecticide is spinosad (Fertilome Borer, Bagworm Leaf Miner and Tent Caterpillar Spray). It kills bagworms up to 1½ inches long and does not kill beneficial insects that prevent spider mite problems on evergreens.

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is another material that kills bagworms up to 1 inch long without harming predators of spider mites. Old standby foliar insecticides like acephate, carbaryl, and some pyrethroids like permethrin, and cyfluthrin will kill bagworms that are less than 1 inch long.

The problem with these materials is that they also kill beneficial insects that keep spider mites from becoming a problem.
At this time, there are no effective systemic insecticides you can apply to soil to kill bagworms.
The author is an extension entomologist with the, West Lafayette, Ind.
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And as a father, I want to support kids and their learning environment,” Franey says.
So it’s been a natural for Total Landscape to get involved and actively participate with the educators and administrators in our local school district.

I’m honored to have been recognized for something I love to do.” Franey, a professional landscape contractor by trade, has provided both services and ongoing financial support to many programs within the Mehlville School District. He also volunteers with several children’s youth organizations and charities such as the not-for-profit Angel’s Arms foster care services.

Total Landscape crew members planted a tree with Blades Elementary School students in St. Louis, Mo., in April. The company was helping the school celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earth Day.

This sense of social responsibility and community volunteerism is shared by the staff at Total Landscape, who are involved in various charitable and community service organizations in their off hours. Franey encourages staff participation in both company-sponsored community service projects and through each staff member’s charitable interest of choice.

The Total Landscape team recently planned and hosted a special tree-planting event at Blades Elementary School to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earth Day.
Franey is a firm believer that successful companies must give back to the communities where they serve.
The Total Landscape motto is ‘Building Relationships One Landscape at a Time’, and our philosophy is that we must build stronger relationships and communities by sharing our success with those who are in need,” he says.

Total Landscape is a professional exterior landscape design/build, installation and lawn maintenance contractor. For over 15 years, Total Landscape has proudly served the St. Louis area with quality residential and commercial landscape and lawn services as one of only three Professional Landcare Network-certified contractors in the state of Missouri.

Mike’s track record as a leader and innovator speaks for itself,” said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and chief executive officer. “I will personally miss him as a friend, as a member of my team and as a thoughtful advisor. His contributions have impacted Scotts in countless ways and will have a lasting influence on our continued success.” Kelty joined the Company in 1979 as manager of regulatory and environmental affairs.

Since that time, he has held various positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of research and development, technology and operations and the professional business group. He was named vice chairman and executive vice president in 2001. “I am proud to have been a part of the positive growth and change that the company has experienced,” Kelty said.

“Scotts has transitioned from a small company focused on improving lawns to the global leader in our industry. I am especially proud to have been involved in projects that were true to our heritage of innovation. Scotts is a great company, and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow and prosper well into the future.” Dan Foley and Peter Orum share their thoughts on why now is the right time to bring the two strong associations together.

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With just six months under its belt since the merger of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America and the Professional Landcare Association formed PLANET, Lawn & Landscape interviewed PLANET President Dan Foley to learn more about the timing and next steps involved in this new level of expansion.

Moreover, ANLA President Peter Orum shares his thoughts on the merger and the potential benefits he sees it bringing to the industry at large. MOVING FAST? Currently representing 4,000 member firms, the formation of PLANET was finalized on Jan.1, 2005 – just six short months ago. But the quick timeframe in which this second merger has been approached isn’t a bad thing, Foley says.

“When ALCA and PLCAA came together, the goal there was to start building one strong voice for the industry,” Foley says. “Once the formation of PLANET was crystallized and confirmed, we wanted to notify other associations about what we were doing and to let them know the door was open to them, as well.

Foley says ANLA responded to that invitation about seven months ago, which started the ball rolling on partnerships between the organizations. “ANLA responded in several ways in terms of partnerships and, from there, beginning discussions about the possibility of merging,” he says.

“We’ve worked together on the H-2B Coalition, aligned our Legislative Days so they’re held simultaneously in July, and we found a lot of other ways to work better together to benefit our members. We really wanted to be open-minded to all options.” Orum agrees that political activity has been a great starting point for the two organizations, with combined educational opportunities a great benefit to members, should the merger go through.

“Up until less than 10 years ago, ANLA was probably more reactive than proactive in the political arena – when a bad law came out, we’d do something to get it changed, but we wouldn’t plan ahead or anticipate future challenges,” Orum says. “Since then, we’ve become very politically engaged and worked closely with the PLANET legacy associations to help in their efforts as well.

With ANLA strong in the political world and PLANET very strong in education, certification and member services, we see that as a very good marriage.” JOINING FORCES.
According to Foley, one of the biggest benefits of creating PLANET was seeing membership from the landscape and lawn care sides of the industry come together and mesh so quickly.

“In the few months I’ve been fortunate enough to work with folks with a lawn care specialty, it’s amazing to find out how alike we really are and how much we can learn from each other at the same time,” he says. “As ANLA and PLANET research the merger opportunity, it will be fun to watch it evolves because people from both sides of the room will come together and integrate much more quickly than you’d expect.” Moving on from blending lawn care and landscaping to bringing the “Landcare Network” and wholesale grower/retail markets together is the next logical step, Foley and Orum say.

The groups, they suggest, are true extensions of one another and will make an excellent blend. “By and large, throughout the industry, there’s a very good relationship between growers and landscapers,” Orum says. “We’re really part of the same family. Within our organization now, ANLA has divisions – retail, grower, landscape, etc.

– and as a like-minded organization, so does PLANET – design/build, maintenance, interior, etc. In coming together, we feel we can develop these divisions a little bit more and create a lot of opportunities for education between each group. I’m sure there will be a lot of joint events where growers can drop in on landscaping sessions and find out how that side of the business really works, or landscapers can take a look at the retail section and consider that aspect of the business.” Foley agrees that member communication to benefit the industry is an advantage to creating an even larger organization.

The green goods that are grown by ANLA members are really a key part of PLANET members’ businesses,” Foley says. “Getting these two groups together is only going to help the communication between them on a lot of different levels. When you look back at ALCA, of which my company was a member for so long, there was a clear analogy between contractor members and supplier members – and it’s not just to get more sales.

When you take a look at how much interaction the suppliers and contractors have, and how they can share their insights into the how end users of landscape products work, it’s a win-win situation.” MERGER TRENDS? As ANLA and PLANET prepare to sign a letter of intent to merge next month, many industry professionals may be wondering if association mergers will become an annual trend.

Foley assures, it’s a long process that’s not likely to become a quick habit. “It will take a long time to go through another historic merger, with several task force meetings as we investigate the merger possibilities,” he says, noting that leadership from both associations have come together to create a task force overseeing the first phase of evaluation.

“One thing I think everyone involved in the ALCA/PLCAA merger learned was that getting a core group together to expose all the issues creates a great forum for discussion. Even if you don’t resolve everything right away, it’s out on the table for consideration and we’re not just doing everything on the fly.” Foley says he also learned that having a predetermined launch date for a new association could press long-term strategies into a short-term calendar.

He notes that setting the Jan.1 launch date for PLANET, though successful, was an aggressive goal and that benchmarking and tactical planning will be key during a PLANET/ANLA merge.
Orum says early outlook is promising for a successful merger.
So far, the planning and talks have been very positive – it has not been easy, but it’s been exciting and there has been good spirit from both sides,” he says.

“As more news and information about the talks gets out and this is discussed by membership, I hope they’ll look on it the same way. You never like to see something that you knew, something that was comfortable, go away – that’s a natural feeling. But if we’re going to get somewhere in the future, we have to recognize that we can’t just hang onto the way things used to be.

We have to make some changes and we have a great opportunity to do that now.” Indeed, membership support is going to be key to this project. Foley says he’s spoken with industry friends who are very supportive and that he looks forward to hearing what other PLANET and ANLA members think. “Our first priority is to keep our eye on the ball with the membership during the whole process and not move into anything too quickly,” Foley says.

“We’re going to work hard to keep people updated on each step of the process. At this point, we haven’t created any plans to begin subsequent merger talks with other industry associations, though our clear intent remains to build one strong voice for the industry and the door is open for anyone that wants to be aligned with us in that respect.” : Check Evergreens in Early June to See if Bagworms Survived Winter

Can bagworms be prevented?

How To Prevent Bagworms? – Using insecticide on the affected trees when young larvae would be feeding is the most effective method to prevent bagworms. Some of the most common products on the market to prevent bagworms include carbaryl, malathion, diazinon, bifenthrin, permethrin, or cyfluthrin.

Before applying products, always read all instructions and warnings, and be sure to take into account the stage of plant development, soil type and condition, temperature, moisture, and wind.
For a natural treatment, you can also use products containing Bacillus thuringiensis var.
Kurstaki, a naturally occurring bacteria in soil that causes bagworms to stop eating and die in a few short days.

You can also prevent bagworms by attracting their natural enemies, such as birds and wasps. Placing Shasta daisies, Frikart’s asters, birdbaths, birdfeeders, and bird feeders near bagworm trees will help you prevent and control bagworm populations. If you already have bagworms, the best method is to hand cut the bags, kill them, and throw them away.

Will arborvitae recover from bagworms?

Will The Arborvitae Recover From Bagworm Damage? – Unfortunately, it can take a while for arborvitae to recover from bagworm damage. The brown spots may recover or may not. A good way to tell is if you use a fingernail to look for green tissue inside the branches.

If there is some green, the branch may still be viable and add new growth the following year.
If the branch is dead, it is usually best to just cut the branch off.
Even if that means cutting out big portions of the arborvitae.
When the plant does recover, it happens from growth on the tips of the branches, which will eventually cover up the damage further inside of the plant.

Sometimes, this can take several years if the damage was bad enough. You may decide to just replace the plant if the damage is bad enough or makes the plant look uneven in appearance. : How To Remove & Treat For Bagworms on Arborvitae

Will Sevin get rid of bagworms?

Answer: Yes, Garden Tech Sevin Ready To Spray Bug Killer is labeled for bagworms.

Will Dawn dish soap kill bagworms?

1. Handpick and drop bagworms in soapy water – Sean Locke Photography/Shutterstock Whether you have a mass invasion to handle or those creepy plants-mongering moths are just beginning to find their ways to your yard and you’d rather eliminate them from eggs to adults (all of them), put on your protective hand gloves, prepare a bucket of warm or hot dish soapy water, and,

Let’s get to work! Wait, will dish soap kill bagworms? Really? Well, yes.
Just like the whiteflies that invade your garden, bagworms are defenseless to soap.
The chemical composition of dish soap infiltrates the protective wax coat of larvae insects, drains their vital fluids, messes up the metabolism of their cells, and ultimately kills them.

Unfortunately, as confirmed by Garden Myths, soap is equally damaging to your plants and bagworm bags can be impenetrable to liquid soap. That’s why Home Guides suggests handpicking the bags, cracking them open to make the inhabiting insects vulnerable, and dropping them in a bucket of warm or hot soapy water for hours to die.

What is a natural predator for bagworms?

Evergreen bagworm

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Lepidoptera
Family:	Psychidae
Genus:	Thyridopteryx
Species:	T. ephemeraeformis
Binomial name
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis ( Haworth, 1803)

Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, evergreen bagworm Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis, evergreen bagworm The evergreen bagworm ( Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis ), commonly known as bagworm, eastern bagworm, common bagworm, common basket worm, or North American bagworm, is a moth that spins its cocoon in its larval life, decorating it with bits of plant material from the trees on which it feeds.

The evergreen bagworm’s case grows to a length of over 6 cm, tapered and open on both ends.
Newborn larva are blackish and turn brown to tan as they grow, mottled with black.
The heads and thorax develop a yellow tint as they grow to a full length of 24 to 32 mm.
Adult males resemble bees, having a 25 mm wingspan with transparent wings ( thuris window + pterux wing) and black furry bodies.

Adult females are maggot -like with yellowish-white soft bodies 19 to 23 mm long and small tufts of hair near the end of the abdomen, The cream-colored eggs are 0.75 mm in diameter. The evergreen bagworm thrives in the eastern United States as far west as Nebraska, north into New England and bordering the Gulf of Mexico south throughout Texas,

It has been found in other countries, such as South Africa, Croatia, and in the north-east of Iran.
Large populations in forested areas are rare.
With scarce predators in urban areas, evergreen bagworms often thrive in urban habitats.
When disturbed, the larva will retract its head into its case and hold the front opening closed.

Mature larva may remain in the host tree or drag its case nearby before attaching itself for the pupa stage. The diet of larvae consists of leaves and buds of trees. Arborvitae and red cedar are favored host trees. Cypress, juniper, pine, spruce, apple, birch, black locust, elm, maple, poplar, oak, sycamore, willow, and over 100 other species can also be eaten.

Bagworms are commonly parasitized by ichneumonid wasps, notably Itoplectis conquisitor,
Predators include vespid wasps and hornets,
Woodpeckers and sapsuckers can feed on the larva from their cases.
Eggs hatch from early April to early June (earlier in the south) and larvae emerge from the carcass of their mother in her case.

Newborn larva emerge from the bottom of the hanging case and drop down on a strand of silk. The wind often blows the larva to nearby plants where it begins its new case from silk and fecal material before beginning to add leaves and twigs from its host.

When mature in mid-August, the larva wraps silk around a branch, hangs from it, and pupates head down. The silk is so strong that it can strangle and kill the branch it hangs from over the course of several years as the branch grows, Adult males transform into moths in four weeks to seek out females for mating.

The female never leaves the cocoon, requiring that the male mate with her through the open end at the back of the case. She has no eyes, legs, wings, antennae, and can’t eat, but she emits a strong pheromone to attract a mate. After her death with hundreds to several thousand eggs still inside, her offspring hatch and pass through her body, pupal shell and case over several months emerging to start their own cases.

Later, her pupal case can be found, full of the yellow remains of eggshells.
The bagworm has a voracious appetite and is considered a serious pest.
Host trees develop damaged foliage that will kill the tree if left unchecked.
If caught early enough in an infestation, the cases from the previous year can be picked off by hand before the end of May.

They are easiest to detect in the fall after their cases have turned brown, especially on evergreen trees. Various bacterial sprays such as Bacillus thuringiensis Bt / Spinosad and stomach insecticides such as carbaryl (Sevin) are used to control infestations.

What is the best way to get rid of bagworms on my evergreens?

How can I get rid of bagworms on arborvitae, evergreens and other trees? – You aren’t going to like this, but the easiest way to remove bagworms is to cut off the bags by hand and destroy them. Be sure to cut off all their silk, too, because that could strangle (and kill) twigs later.

Can you spray for bagworms in the winter?

How to get rid of bagworms – The best time to get rid of bagworms is in late winter or very early summer before the eggs hatch, as it is nearly impossible to kill the pest by early July when the larvae are longer than ½ inch.

Can bagworms live through winter?

This vivid reminder of last year’s devastation may make you wonder if there is anything you can do to stop bagworms from coming back and eating what’s left of your evergreens.
Fortunately, there are many ways to control bagworms and June is the best month to begin.
Start by learning the bagworm’s life cycle and how to recognize an active infestation.

Then use this information to determine the best way to battle bagworms in your yard.

In late August, male caterpillars become adults and sprout wings.
They then fly to find females and mate.
Mated adult females never leave their bags.
Instead, they continue feeding until they permanently tie their bags to twigs.
They then lay up to 1,500 pearly yellow eggs, and die.
These eggs remain inside the mother’s bodies throughout the winter.

Wind catches the threads and blows the tiny insects to new trees where they will begin to feed and build bags. With each female producing so many offspring, you may wonder why there are any trees left. Fortunately, not all bagworm caterpillars survive. Many are killed by cold weather, birds, rodents and small parasitic wasps.

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Spray bagworms with insecticide only after you find live bagworms.
Several materials can be sprayed control bagworms.
The preferred foliar insecticide is spinosad (Fertilome Borer, Bagworm Leaf Miner and Tent Caterpillar Spray).
It kills bagworms up to 1½ inches long and does not kill beneficial insects that prevent spider mite problems on evergreens.

The problem with these materials is that they also kill beneficial insects that keep spider mites from becoming a problem.
At this time, there are no effective systemic insecticides you can apply to soil to kill bagworms.
The author is an extension entomologist with the, West Lafayette, Ind.
The ‘Don’t Gamble! One Voice – RISE’ theme will take over the 15th Annual Meeting held Sept.6 to 9 in Las Vegas.

Buchholz is a former director of economic policy at the White House, a managing director of the $15 billion Tiger hedge fund, and an award-winning economics teacher at Harvard.
Buchholz targets his entertaining remarks to the cutting edge of economics, finance, and business strategy.
He has advised President Bush, and is a frequent commentator on ABC News, PBS, and CBS, and recently hosted his own special on CNBC.

Other topics of interest during the Annual Meeting include a presentation on a new technology that is directly affecting the specialty industry – Radio Frequency Identification (RFID). The RISE Governing Board has declared 2005 the “Year of the Alliance” and expects many of its Alliance partners to attend the Annual Meeting.

You won’t want to miss the Thursday evening dinner celebration, “RISE Meets the Rat Pack” with entertainment by Vegas celebrity impersonators, dancing, and the usual fabulous buffet. Vegas attire for this party! Plenty of time will be allowed on Friday for people to catch early afternoon flights, so attendees are encouraged to come for the entire meeting.

As a business owner, I feel it’s so important to give back to the community.
And as a father, I want to support kids and their learning environment,” Franey says.
So it’s been a natural for Total Landscape to get involved and actively participate with the educators and administrators in our local school district.

Total Landscape crew members planted a tree with Blades Elementary School students in St. Louis, Mo., in April. The company was helping the school celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earth Day.

The Total Landscape team recently planned and hosted a special tree-planting event at Blades Elementary School to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Earth Day.
Franey is a firm believer that successful companies must give back to the communities where they serve.
The Total Landscape motto is ‘Building Relationships One Landscape at a Time’, and our philosophy is that we must build stronger relationships and communities by sharing our success with those who are in need,” he says.

Since that time, he has held various positions of increasing responsibility in the areas of research and development, technology and operations and the professional business group. He was named vice chairman and executive vice president in 2001. “I am proud to have been a part of the positive growth and change that the company has experienced,” Kelty said.

Moreover, ANLA President Peter Orum shares his thoughts on the merger and the potential benefits he sees it bringing to the industry at large. MOVING FAST? Currently representing 4,000 member firms, the formation of PLANET was finalized on Jan.1, 2005 – just six short months ago. But the quick timeframe in which this second merger has been approached isn’t a bad thing, Foley says.

“We’ve worked together on the H-2B Coalition, aligned our Legislative Days so they’re held simultaneously in July, and we found a lot of other ways to work better together to benefit our members. We really wanted to be open-minded to all options.” Orum agrees that political activity has been a great starting point for the two organizations, with combined educational opportunities a great benefit to members, should the merger go through.

With ANLA strong in the political world and PLANET very strong in education, certification and member services, we see that as a very good marriage.” JOINING FORCES. According to Foley, one of the biggest benefits of creating PLANET was seeing membership from the landscape and lawn care sides of the industry come together and mesh so quickly.

The groups, they suggest, are true extensions of one another and will make an excellent blend. “By and large, throughout the industry, there’s a very good relationship between growers and landscapers,” Orum says. “We’re really part of the same family. Within our organization now, ANLA has divisions – retail, grower, landscape, etc.

Foley assures, it’s a long process that’s not likely to become a quick habit.
It will take a long time to go through another historic merger, with several task force meetings as we investigate the merger possibilities,” he says, noting that leadership from both associations have come together to create a task force overseeing the first phase of evaluation.

He notes that setting the Jan.1 launch date for PLANET, though successful, was an aggressive goal and that benchmarking and tactical planning will be key during a PLANET/ANLA merge.
Orum says early outlook is promising for a successful merger.
So far, the planning and talks have been very positive – it has not been easy, but it’s been exciting and there has been good spirit from both sides,” he says.

We have to make some changes and we have a great opportunity to do that now.” Indeed, membership support is going to be key to this project.
Foley says he’s spoken with industry friends who are very supportive and that he looks forward to hearing what other PLANET and ANLA members think.
Our first priority is to keep our eye on the ball with the membership during the whole process and not move into anything too quickly,” Foley says.

When Should I spray my arborvitae?

June is usually the best month to use a spray pesticide. If all of your arborvitae are not infected, it is still a good idea to treat them all at the same time.

Will Evergreen come back after bagworms?

They begin to pupate in August by securely attaching themselves to twigs and/or inanimate objects. Then they seal up their bags and re-orient themselves so they are facing downward. They are no longer feeding when they pupate. Adult bagworms are moths, although females lack wings and remain grub-like; they never leave their bags.

They are also spread on infested nursery stock.
Controls include removing the cases from infested plants by hand, especially between now and when they hatch next spring.
Male cases can be left to weather off the plants since all the eggs are in female bags.
It can be easy to tell the difference: male bags tend to be smaller than female bags, and the pupal case often extends out of the bottom of the bag where the male emerged as an adult.

Larger bagworms can be controlled with carbaryl (Seven, others); cyfluthrin (Bayer Advanced PowerForce Multi Insect Killer); and malathion.
If your trees are very large, consider hiring a tree service to make the application for you.
Many have certified arborists on staff, and have the equipment and training to effectively and safely spray large trees.

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Irving S. Martin