So this looks cool, right? Well .... nope! This is a cocoon full of bag worm eggs, up to 1,000. These bugs are native but can do serious damage. They will feed off of 120 different types of trees, although evergreens are preferred. This is why this cocoon is made with bits of cedar or arborvitae. Normally, they attach these to trees, so this one was a bit confused as it’s on a metal railing. The worms hatch at 2 mm and float away on a piece of silk. They’ll eat the tips of evergreen branches causing browning or they’ll eat holes in the leaves of deciduous trees, wrecking the leaves. The deciduous trees can grow back, but if these guys do 80% damage to a tree, it’s most likely a goner. Best way to remove these? By hand, of course. And you have to get that silk so the twig or branch isn’t strangled.
Comments