Bagworm Identification and Control on Shrubs

Shrubs dying from "cone-shaped bags with black caterpillars" hanging on branches. Owner asks insect ID and treatment.

Silk bags camouflaged with foliage. Caterpillars feed inside. Females never leave bag.

Hand-pick (winter/early spring before hatch) — best for small plants.
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) — late June, after hatch, thorough coverage.
Insecticides (young larvae only): acephate, bifenthrin, carbaryl, malathion, etc. Bags >¾″ resist sprays.

Early action = easy control. Late = difficult.

Conifers: Diagnosing and Treating Browning Fraser Firs and Cedar Trees; Planting Rhododendrons Under Pine Trees; Horses Chewing Pine Trees: Bark Protection and Nutritional Causes; Cutting White Pine Boughs for January Wedding: Timing and Storage; White Pine Sooty Mold: Aphid Management Restores Clean Foliage; Pine Needle Management: Leave, Rake, or Mulch?; Bagworm Identification and Control on Shrubs; Sawfly Larvae on Pines: Mechanical Control to Protect Monarch Milkweed; Pines Dying from Bottom Up: Normal Needle Drop vs. Bark Beetles; Separating Norfolk Pine Offsets for Propagation

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