What is a spruce Budworm?

Unlike its name, the spruce Budworm is not a worm, but the caterpillar of the moth. In fact, there are a number of different kinds of spruce Budworm, which belong to the family of the chistoneura and all wide -like appearance, but the two most destructive insects are East spruce Budworm, c. The caterpillars feed on various coniferous trees, such as speaking, fir and pine. Moths are found in many parts of the United States, including Alaska and Canada; Some species are found in Europe and Asia. It is a caterpillar that causes damage; An adult moth does not feed plants. The larvae, after they hatch, do not start feeding, but instead build silk structures between the bark and the small twigs in which hibernation passes. The following spring appears from hibernation, just before the start of new growth on the host tree.

caterpillars that are brownWith whitish spots - reminiscent of small spruce twigs, initially feed on old needles, but go to the beginning new needles that seem to prefer as soon as they are available. The greatest damage causes these attacks on growing centers. The larvae feed until they stay, usually by the end of June. At this point, it builds silk cocoons near feed areas and pups. Moths appear about ten days later.

The apparent signs of a spruce Budworm attack are brown dead needles and stunted or deformed growth near the tips of branches. Closer control reveals silk straps between needles and twigs and frumbry excretioning material known as FRASS. Damage can be limited to growing tips, but other parts may be affected in severely and serious defoliation may occur. The trees spent - for example, as a result of drought - are more vulnerable to the attack by this insects and are severely damaged. Healthy trees usually recover, but repeated attacks on trees weakened by stress can beFinally fatal.

Budworm has a number of natural predators, including birds, spiders and parasitic wasps. They usually limit Budworm numbers, but from time to time a combination of factors can cause the population explosion, resulting in extensive damage. The best control policy often is that trees maintain healthy and better to resist or recover from the attack by minimizing stress factors. In the case of serious contamination, a number of common insecticides may be effective. The bacillus thuringensis , which produces an insecticidal compound, has proved to be a successful method of biological control.