BYGL Bug Bytes April 17, 2008 WINTER SURVIVAL? THE EGGS HAVE IT!
| WINTER SURVIVAL? THE EGGS HAVE IT! |
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 As usually occurs after a long winter, many BYGLers get asked the question "Has the winter weather killed off pesky insects?" And as usual, the answer tends to be, "Nope!" The BAGWORM (Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) is a case in point. The bagworm overwinters as eggs inside the pupal case of the female located inside the bag she constructed last year. Some eggs can be destroyed during the winter if they are exposed to low temperatures (-10F or lower) for several days. Although temperatures in Ohio were indeed cold this winter, temperatures were not low enough, nor were low temperature sustained long enough, for there to have been an appreciable impact on the eggs. To prove this point, Curtis Young collected a number of bagworm bags to check the condition of the overwintered eggs inside the female bags. What Curtis found was very healthy looking eggs, currently tawny in color and smoothly rounded full of liquid. The greatest mortality factor to the eggs was Curtis as he cut open the pupal cases to examine the eggs inside! Thus at least in the Lima area, it looks like it is going to be another banner year for bagworm activity. Even though the bagworm eggs are on the host plants right now, they are not susceptible to most management tactics, except handpicking. Those who are interested in handpicking all the bags off of infested plants can do so, but chemical treatments are not recommended for another month and a half to two months from now (late-May to mid-June) depending on when egg hatch occurs in your area. One may also want to cut some bags open to check on winter survival of eggs just to prove to yourself that the eggs are alive and numerous. For more information, see:
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 April 2008 18:33 ) |
