HOW CAN I RECOGNIZE THE DAMAGE?
It is not easy to recognize the first damage. The small caterpillars are in their early stages and do not yet affect the plant very much. They are still on the bottom and are difficult to detect.
Once the caterpillars are bigger, the damage is more noticeable. Certainly the dead leaves that are spun together (spinsels) are characteristic. If you then look closer at the plant, you can see that the fresh green leaves are eaten and bald spots appear. The Boxwood does not die, but does not look and thus loses its ornamental value in the garden.
The boxwood moth
The boxwood moth can be recognized by its bright white wings with a brown edge. The moth flies mainly at night, but you can also encounter it during the day. The caterpillars have a black head with a bright green body with black dots and black longitudinal stripes. A full-grown caterpillar is 4 cm.
Treatment
To know when to treat the plants, it is best to follow the life cycle of the moth. This can be done by catching the moth in pheromone traps, so that one knows when to spray. The flights of the boxwood moth are April, July and September. If affected, you can perfectly control the caterpillars with a biological insecticide based on spinosad. With some follow-up, the boxwood moth is easy to control and you can enjoy your boxwood in your garden.
DCM Moth Trap and DCM Boxwood Moth Cydalima-Pheromone (R)
Florbac (R) - only professional use in Belgium
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Professional growers and garden contractors can rely on the warningsystem from the PCS to receive fast and accurate information about pests and control techniques.
Figure : lifecycle of the boxwood moth, ILVO, 2018