The caterpillars of the box tree borer sometimes cause enormous damage to gardens. How to recognize an infestation - and what helps against the voracious animals.
The boxwood moths, originally from East Asia, were first spotted in Germany in 2006. Since then, they have become a real plague in German gardens. Unfortunately, it is often not until very late that you recognize whether a boxwood tree is infested with the pest, because the caterpillars eat their way from the inside of the plant outwards. The infestation can then be recognized by the typical damage pattern.
Recognizing boxwood moths: What do the animals look like?
The caterpillars of the box tree moth
(Cydalima perspectalis)
can be recognized by their body, which is around eight millimeters long and has a black head. The dark stripes on the back are particularly noticeable. Over the course of the year, the caterpillars pupate and develop into a butterfly. The adult butterfly is white in color and has silvery, shimmering wings that are lined with brown. The butterflies only live for ten days and are then no longer found on the boxwood, but mainly on the plants in the surrounding area. The butterfly only lays eggs on the boxwood, from which new caterpillars hatch within a few days.
In this way, depending on the weather, two to three generations of boxwood moths develop in the garden every year. In very warm years, as was the case in 2018, up to four generations are possible, as the
Bavarian Ministry of Agriculture
informs on its website. This is also the reason why the pest has multiplied so rapidly in Germany within just a few years.
Typical damage caused by a boxwood moth infestation
According to the garden portal My Beautiful Garden
, you can tell that a plant is infested with the box tree borer
by the typical damage:
Cobwebs between the leaves in which the caterpillars have overwintered - often with light-colored droppings (not to be confused with spider webs)
eaten, brown leaves up to complete baldness
The infestation first occurs inside the boxwood
If the box is defoliated, the animals also like to eat the bark of the green parts of the shoots. Then the plant dies. There are also all sorts of pests in the vegetable garden, but they can be effectively controlled with home remedies.
Check boxwood regularly for infestation
To prevent a major infestation, garden owners should regularly check their boxwood for pests, especially the inside of the plant. This also applies when purchasing new plants. The boxwood can already be infected in the garden center. In this case, you should just leave it alone.
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What helps against the box tree borer?
If you notice an infestation of boxwood moths in your garden, you should collect the caterpillars immediately and, if necessary, fight the boxwood moths with other home remedies. Only if these do not help should commercial chemical products be used. Boxwood borers can also be contained by cutting the box back heavily immediately.