Boxwood mothis a pest whose caterpillars massively eat boxwood leaves, sometimes leading to the complete emptying of bushes. This makesfighting the boxwood motha must. See how to recognizesymptoms of moth feeding on boxwoods , photos will help you, and how you can get rid of the pest. We suggest the bestboxwood moth spraying !
Boxwood moth: (1) shrubs damaged by moth, (2) caterpillar, (3) adult butterfly
Boxwood moth(Cydalima perspectalis) is an invasive species of butterfly whose caterpillars massively eat boxwood leaves, causing entire plants to be stripped away, causing them to die and wither away. Caterpillars strongly damage evergreen boxwood, but they can also be found on other species of boxwood. Increasingly,boxwood moth begins to attack also other plants , such as cotoneaster, laurel, holly, euonymus.
Is the boxwood moth a threat to your boxwoods?
Boxwood mothcomes from Asia, and in Europe its first presence was found in 2006 in Germany (it probably came with imported seedlings). Its invasion of other European countries is favored by climate warming. In Poland, the pest has been observed since 2012, and has appeared on a mass scale since 2015. In the summer of 2018, we already had a real invasion of the boxwood moth, which appeared en masse in many parts of the country.
Since 2016,research on the occurrence of boxwood moth in Polandhas been conducted by the Field Experimental Station IOR - National Research Institute in Rzeszów, in cooperation with the DIONP gardening portal and the University of Silesia. Initially, the boxwood moth was found in the south of Poland, in the warmest regions of the country. In recent years, moth invasions in the vicinity of Rzeszów and Kraków have become famous. Currently, however, the threat of boxwood moth covers almost all of Poland. This is shown in themap of the occurrence of the box mothin Poland developed in 2020.
It is worth paying attention to the factors thatfavor the invasion of the boxwood moth in PolandIt is certainly a warming of the climate and milder winters. The box tree moth initially appeared in the south of Poland, but in the following years the pest's invasion progressed more and more to the north. In our countrythe boxwood moth also has no natural enemies Native species of birds are not interested in the caterpillars of the box tree moth. Therefore, fighting this pest is essential if we want to save our box trees.
Boxwood moth - description of symptoms and photos
The symptoms of feeding the boxwood mothare the bitten edges of the leaves, and then the whole leaves of the box trees. As a result, the plant may even be completely stripped of its leaves, which leads to its death. Sometimes single shoots wither, and in the event of numerous invasions of the pest - entire rows of box trees are lost.
What does the boxwood moth look like? Adult butterflies may have white wings with a brown border, or light brown, with a purple sheen and a white, crescent-shaped spot. Wingspan up to 4 cm. Adult specimens can fly from April to September, and in warm weather - even until October. Females lay their eggs on the underside of boxwood leaves, in the center of the shrub's crown.
Boxwood moth - adult butterfly with white wings
Fig. AnRo0002, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Boxwood moth - a variety with brown colored wings
Fig. Nagy Sándor, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The larvae of the box tree moth are harmful to boxwood - up to 4 cm in lengthgreen caterpillars with dark longitudinal stripesThey feed mostly in the middle of the bush, eating its leaves. Young caterpillars for boxwood gnaw the edges of the leaves, while the older ones eat the whole leaves. Their presence is accompanied by fittings of silk threads.
The larva of the moth feeding on the boxwood
Fig. Membeth, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
A foraging caterpillar and visible tiny threads of the flock
Fig. I. Sáček, senior, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
Fighting the boxwood moth
Fighting the boxwood moth is quite difficultas the pest is very invasive. Fortunately, biological spraying against this pest is already available, which we can safely perform in our gardens. with foil bushes
Collected caterpillars should be destroyed immediately. It is best to burn them or bury them deep underground.This allows for quick, immediate intervention when a pest is spotted, although unfortunately it is usually not possible to get rid of all caterpillars this way. For boxwood hedges, this method is also very laborious. Some gardeners recommendspraying the boxwood bushes with a strong stream of water
Remember, however, that the caterpillars rinsed off the plants in this way must then be picked up and destroyed somehow.
Damaged boxwood and track left by the caterpillars
Fig. I. Sáček, senior, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
We have been observing boxwood for the presence of the boxwood moth since Apriland continued until September. Remember that it is not enough to see the bushes from the outside. You should open their twigs andlook inside the crown, because this is where the caterpillars can be most abundantAs soon as you notice them, you must immediately start fighting the boxwood moth, because the pest multiplies and destroys bushes very quickly.
Good to knowButterflies of the boxwood moth head towards light sources, so they are easy to spot in the garden in the evening, with the lamp on.
A good way to detect the presence of a box tree moth is to hang pheromone traps to catch adult butterfliesTraps are mainly used to signal the presence of a pest (they only attract males).However, by hanging more traps in the garden, we can significantly reduce the number of moths. By eliminating males with pheromone traps, we will ensure that not all eggs laid by females are fertilized. So fewer caterpillars will hatch.
Pheromone trap for boxwood moth
Fig. Membeth, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
I consider hanging moth traps a necessityUsually, when we see damage to the boxwood bushes, it is too late to save the plants. This is because the caterpillars start feeding from the center of the bush, inside its crown. So they eat leaves from the inside of the box, and you can't see it from the outside. When they strip the middle of the bush, they start to feed on the outer shoots and only then we notice them. Then, even if the caterpillars are immediately destroyed, the box trees will not be able to regenerate and will wither. Thereforeboxwood moth traps are the only effective way to spot the pest early enough
Recentlycombating boxwood moth by sprayingin garden areas was very complicated and not very effective. This was because there was a lack of boxwood mass control agents intended for amateur garden use.
However, everything changed in the spring of 2020, when amateur registration was obtainedthe best boxwood moth remedy LEPINOX PLUSIt contains the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, which infects the caterpillars of the boxwood moth, causing them to die within 3 days of performed spraying (the caterpillars stop feeding and damaging the bushes on the first day after spraying, but they can survive for up to 3 days).
LEPINOX PLUS is a safe-to-use biological preparation , allowed for use in organic farming. We can buy it in small 3x10g sachets. 10 g sachet should be dissolved in 5 liters of water.It is therefore a quantity that matches the most common garden sprayer capacity. The package includes 3 portions of such a spray.
Due to the high efficiency and high safety of useecological LEPINOX PLUS is the best preparation for fighting the boxwood mothin home gardens and allotments. With the introduction of this preparation on sale, gardeners finally gained an effective weapon against the boxwood moth: -)
In recent years, when there was no amateur version of LEPINOX PLUS, gardeners copedby spraying boxwood bushes with agents for general control of pests that bite leaves and suck plant sap , which were also effective against the caterpillars of the box tree moth. However, since the larvae of the boxwood moth feed hidden inside the bush and are difficult to reach with a spray,it was very important to use a systemic agent This effect is demonstrated by the preparations Polysect Bukszpan 005 SL Ultra and Mospilan 20 SP.
Systemic action means that the preparation is quickly absorbed by the green parts of the plant and is transported along with the juices throughout the plant.Insects and caterpillars that feed on the juices die even if they are not sprayed directlyPolysect Boxwood 005 SL Ultra will also prevent the occurrence of other boxwood pests, such as aphids or boxwood.
Similar effect as Polysect Boxwood 005 SL is shown by the preparationMospilan 20 SP BUKSZPAN . The composition of Mospilan 20 SP contains the same active substance - acetamiprid.
Good to know!
1.Plant protection products containing acetamiprid, such as Polysect Bukszpan and Mospilan 20 SP, have been recommended for moth control by dr hab. Paweł K. Bereś from the Institute of Plant Protection - National Research Institute in Rzeszów in the Działkowiec monthly (No. 1/2020, page 57).
2.On April 7, 2020, by the decision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Mospilan 20 SP preparation was extended to control the boxwood moth. Therefore, the possibility of using and effectiveness of this agent in combating the boxwood moth was officially confirmed.
How to save a boxwood damaged by a boxwood moth?
We only have a chance to save the box if the boxwood moth has not damaged too many shoots. It is assumed thatshrubs which the pest has damaged more than 80% of their leaves have no chance of recoveringWhether the box tree survives is primarily verified by the winter period. The leaves of the evergreen boxwood are essential for this plant to survive the winter. If in the spring the shoots do not turn green and cover with fresh leaves, the boxwood bushes unfortunately have to be dug up and removed.
In order toincrease the chances of boxwood survivaland accelerate the regeneration of the bush, it is worth using a multi-component boxwood fertilizer.
It may also be advisable to administer a mycorrhiza vaccine to the plant. Mycorrhiza supports the development of the root system and improves nutrient uptake from the substrate.
After combating the caterpillars of the box tree moth, spray the box trees with the fungicide(fungicide). In this way, we will prevent the development of fungal diseases that attack damaged boxwood bushes very easily. If we avoid the use of chemical pesticides, spray Biosept Active, which stimulates plants to grow, accelerates their regeneration and makes them resistant to diseases.
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