What's With the Wrap, Wayland?

My neighborhood is full of yards with trees wrapped in what appears to be Saran wrap. I’ve been curious about this for weeks, but with Christmas got a little side tracked. So, now I'm back and here's what I've learned.   

Just as I suspected, the wrap is (in theory) to protect the trees from Winter Moth. 

The winter moth emerges from the soil usually in late November. It mates and then lays its eggs on the trunk and branches of most of our favorite trees. The eggs than hatch in March and turn into tiny green and white striped caterpillars that are not only a complete nuisance but actually devour the tree canopy bud by bud seriously weakening and stressing out its host.

"Tree-banding" is a method that uses heavyweight paper or plastic strips covered in a sticky substance that snares the climbing females.  

You certainly can band trees in November in hopes of preventing momma from climbing up the tree to lay those eggs, but according to UMass, "research does not yet support their effectiveness for reducing winter moth caterpillar populations when in high numbers." It seems the female will find a way around, under or over, even if it means climbing over those stuck behind. Nice!

If you want to do the very best in protecting your trees and perennials from winter moth there are actually several options, some that work better than others. Gardening is a lot about personal preference, so its nice to have options.

Option 1

Tree-Banding in November

Option 2

Apply a dormant oil late fall to early winter to suffocate the eggs.

This step is all about timing. The oil needs to cover the eggs in order to be effective. So, you need to see the eggs first.

Option 3

Spray BT (bacillus thuringiensis) late March to April to safely and effectively control newly hatched caterpillars.

BT needs to be applied soon after the foliage has opened and while the caterpillars are still relatively young. Again, it's about timing.

Option 4

Have a licensed pesticide applicator like or Bartlett Tree spray BT as well as other pesticides such as Spinosad in late April to May to control feeding caterpillars.

I'm already scheduled to have our trees sprayed in early and mid-spring. Our trees were definitely damaged last year and it's far more expensive to replace one tree than to protect a dozen. I'm also going to be on the look out for eggs this winter to give the dormant oil a try. I'll let you know how that goes.

One more thing. A happy, healthy plant that receives proper water, light and nutrition will always do better than a plant under stress, not just against insect pests like winter moth but against disease, disease causing organisms and other damage.

More information on Winter Moth and control of Winter Moth can be found at:

http://extension.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/winter-moth-overview

http://extension.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/bio-rational-pesticides

http://extension.umass.edu/index.php/news-events/106-cracking-the-case-of-the-winter-moth

Or check out the .

Keep Growing!