Who and what is this little pest currently the talk of Windsor-Essex County? This pest that has been making headlines recently is the called the boxwood moth. They are invasive species that are currently threatening, damaging, and even killing boxwood plants across Windsor Essex homes and gardens.
Boxwood moths are originally from native to East Asia but recently they have also been found in North America including right here in Windsor, most likely through infested imported plants. Identifying boxwood moths and their larvae is crucial for early detection that can help save your plants. First are the adult moths, they are typically white with a brown border on their wings and mostly are active at night as they are nocturnal. They can also be found as Larvae/caterpillars. They are greenish-yellow with black stripes and white spots along their bodies. This is when they are most damaging to your box woods as they feed on them.
As we discussed, the larvae feed on your boxwood leaves and this leads to defoliation and weakens your plants. You can look for sings of damage such as chewed leaves that appear to look like a skeleton as the pest typically leaves the veins of the leafs behind. You may also find webbing over your boxwoods, this is a sure sign of them present in your garden. If not managed these infestations can lead to the sever damage and even death of the plants as they no longer have their leaves.
While you can't prevent boxwood moths, you can manage them. The first and crucial step is monitoring. Keep an eye for those eaten leaves and the tell-tale webbing. When caught early you can save your shrubs and plants. Be sure to pry open you shrubs as webbing can start to occur inside first before working outwards. Once you do have signs of the pest, there are steps you can take. You can look into nematodes, a "small worm-like creature" that are environmentally friendly and non-toxic. These must applied throughout the whole plant not just on the exterior and work best at the end of the day. From an insecticide standpoint there is pyrethrin spray. It is botanical and very safe but may have some environmental side effects. Finally, the most common method is a product named BTK. With the ongoing issues, this is becoming more difficult to find in Windsor Essex County.
Here at Jump Realty our agents will give you honest advice on what course of action is best for you in their professional opinion and will always put taking care of your best interests first! With offices in Windsor, Tecumseh, Kingsville, LaSalle, Harrow, Chatham, and Leamington, no matter where you are, a Jump agent is ready to help. Please contact us for any housing needs and let us give you a better real estate experience!
