Spruce tree pruning and bagworms

[bigboreblr]

Just a public service reminders, while your going around this spring / winter dont forget your younger spruce trees. Atleast for me, about 15-20% of them try to become double leaders. If you think one is competing, snip one off.

Also, bagworms in spruces, is there something you spray for them in the early spring? Got a bunch in my spruce trees, and some wander into the apple trees. Once they get their enclosures up, they're hard to fight.

 

[gurgalunas]

For the Bagworm issue, they are easy to kill when they are still eating. Once they form their cocoon and are hanging, you can only pick and squish.

Pick your favorite pesticide (all the common ones work) and spray the trees in early summer, hopefully with no rain in the forecast for at least a few days. In my area (Kansas City), they hatch in late May to early June. I usually spray in mid June, spraying for complete coverage of the tree. They are generally too small to notice at this point, but haven't had the chance to do much damage either.