We are sticking to the outside today with a bit of an unusual version of That’s Cool.

This was sparked by a couple of evergreens and Blue Spruces, dying in my neighborhood. What I found to be the culprit is the Evergreen Bagworm which eats the needles of the tree.

Once trees lose 80% of their needles, there is no comeback but, there is a way to fight these bagworms.

Inspect the trees for what looks like soft pine cones hanging from branches. These are actually cocoons that blend well into the trees. These cocoons will have 500-1000 larvae which will attack the tree. They hatch in our area close to early June so now is the time to act.

The best thing you can do is to remove these bagworms by hand and put them in a bucket of soapy water for a while and then throw them away in a sealed bag. You can also spray the tree for any that you may have missed. This spraying needs to be done in later May into June.

The good news is that evergreens will rebound. The bad news is that it is a slow process that can take years.