Bagworms in Hickory Nut Trees

• Bagworms can cause extensive damage to hickory nut trees. Brandon Harman/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Bagworms can present a serious problem to hickory nut trees, which are prized for hardwoods used in heating and cooking and also produce a tasty nut. Conic in shape, the "bag" hangs from the branch of a hickory or other tree, and baby moths begin to hatch from the bag in the spring and feast on the leaves of the inhabited tree.

Identification

• The female weaves the "bag" out of tiny sticks and leaves, and as many as 1,000 eggs may spend the winter before hatching in the spring. In late summer the cycle will start all over again when the female encloses herself in a bag and invites the male to mate.

Impact

• Besides being a nuisance and being very unattractive, the newly hatched moths attack and feed on over 100 plants, including the hickory nut tree. They eat the trees leaves and can damage and defoliate the hickory tree dramatically.

Tips/Advice

• Pesticides are most effective in the spring, just after the eggs hatch. Once the moths mature, controlling them chemically becomes very difficult.

Alternatives

• A safer, organic approach involves knocking the bags out of the hickory tree with a long pole or stick. Some birds, including woodpeckers, can prove helpful by penetrating the bags and eating the eggs before they hatch.