Webworms or bagworms…which do you really have?  Many people have been asking me about “bagworms” as of late, but after asking a few questions I discover that they have webworms.  So, what’s the difference?

Bagworms:

• Form small cases that hold larvae, pupae, or female adults and eggs
• Cases are often found on evergreen trees & shrubs such as cedar, juniper, cypress, or pine
• Cases are made from silk and plant material laid down similar to shingles on a house, overlapping in layers
• Newly hatched larvae spin a silken thread & either are carried to a new plant by wind or attach themselves to the plant they are on and begin to build their own silken bag
• Bags remain on plants even if bagworms are dead
• Bags are transportable; larvae carry them along as they move about the plant
• To manage bagworms, handpick bags off the plant and dispose of them

Webworms:

• Spin webbing over branches of host tree to enclose foliage they feed upon
• Attack over 88 species of plants, including fruit, nut, and ornamental trees and shrubs
• Use web as a protective covering; spin webbing immediately after hatching out of egg
• Webbing remains on tree even if caterpillars are dead/ no longer there
• Webs can be pruned out of the tree or opened with a stick/ spray of water to allow predators to eat caterpillars
• When using a pesticide, webbing still needs to be opened