If you see this on the trees of your courtyard, scrape it and kill it immediately

You will need to take proactive measures to save your trees.


The trees are not only pleasant aesthetics - they also cleanse our air, help prevent floods and provide us with a hue well necessary one day at the end of summer. In this spirit, if the trees of your court areto be threatened, there is a good chance that you will want to be proactive to protect them. One thing in particular could be to put your trees in danger, and if you notice, you will have to take immediate measures. Read the rest to discover what you need to be vigilant about identification.

Read this then:If you have this tree in your yard, kill it and cut it, experts warn.

Invasive species are a threat to native ecosystems.

women shopping at garden center
Candybox Images / Shutterstock

Invasive species are those that arenot native in the United States. And likely to harm the economy, the environment or human health, according to the Information Center on the invasive species of the Ministry of Agriculture of Agriculture (USDA). It can be plants, animals or other microbes, most often introduced by human actions.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB

Invasive species can have serious implications for biodiversity and even cause the extinguishing of native species. Recently, experts have issued warnings on the harmful effects of invasive plants such as theBradford Pear Tree andgarlic, also those you can inadvertentlyBuy in Home Depot or yourlocal garden center.

Now there is an invasive insect of devastating trees across the country, and the experts call you to stop the spread.

A certain butterfly puts your trees in danger.

spongy moth on leaf
Jay Ondreicka / Shutterstock

The invasivespotted lantern has been at the top of the mind lately, because those responsible for several states have asked residents to kill the bog in sight. But the spongy butterfly is anotherdangerous insect This should not be overlooked, according to the Inspection Service for the Health of Animals and Plants of the USDA (APHIS) and the Entomological Society of America (ESA).

The invasive butterfly is a defoliator, which means that it strips the trees of their leaves, and it is actually "The most serious forest deficator"In the United States, according to Purdue University.

It was presented in the United States for the first time in 1869 in Massachusetts, and you could recognize it by its former name - the European butterfly Gitan. In March, ESA changed the name, due to its use as aderogatory term For the Romani people. The new name, "Spongy Moth", was selected thanks to the "sponge -shaped egg masses" of the insect, to which ESA intentionally attracts attention.

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The spongy butterfly goes through four stages of development.

spongy moth egg mass
Mark Van Dam / Shutterstock

The spongy butterfly ismainly found In the northeast region of the United States, but it has also spread to Midwest and Canada, according toThe New York Times. According to Purdue, oaks are his favorite food, but there are about 500 species of trees and plants that will also satisfy his appetite, according to Purdue. After the trees are defolved by the spongy butterfly, they are able to reproduce their leaves, but if they continue to be defolved each year, they will eventually die.

According to ESA, when the sponges spurring butterflies are in the mass stage of eggs in their life cycle, people transport them without knowing it and effectively help insects infesting new areas. The egg masses are small clusters of 500 to 1,000 eggs, "covered with tanned or sharp -colored hairs", according to Purdue. At the end of April and early May, small black caterpillars hatch eggs, and it is then that they are starting to burn the leaves of your tree. After finishing feeding, the caterpillars become fees, then finally emerge as adult butterflies in the middle of the summer.

If you do not catch the egg masses, call the antiparasitic fight.

pest control wroker in backyard
Wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock

The identification of the egg masses can save you, as well as your trees, a serious sorrow, because you can simply scrape them and dip them in soapy water before hatching. Unfortunately, an infestation in your backyard can be even more difficult to control when the spongy butterfly enters its second stage of development.

If you have not checked the egg masses, you could then notice the caterpillars, and this is when you will have to contact the antiparasitic control, according to experts. Insecticides likeBacillus thuringiensis, also known as BTK, can be used to treat trees, but it must be applied when the caterpillars are smaller with a length of an inch. When they become larger and more mature, the caterpillars stop feeding on btk -treated leaves, which makes the treatment ineffective.

At this point, you can take matters into your own hands to reduce the number of caterpillars that feed on your trees. Purdue experts recommend wrap the tree trunk in a jute canvas strip between 12 and 18 inches wide, tie it with string or a six -inch wire from the upper edge and fold the fabric to the down. This will create a "tent zone" in which the caterpillars will hide, and you can wear gloves or use tweezers to remove them daily. As with the egg masses, you must place them in soapy water (using dish soap) to make sure they died before eliminating them.


Categories: Smarter Living
Tags: Garden / Home / News / / plants
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