Knowledgebase

Box Tree Moth #877487

Asked July 16, 2024, 2:03 PM EDT

How do I treat it? Prevention or is there a pesticide, or product I can use?

Oakland County Michigan

Expert Response

Good afternoon and thank you for reaching out. It would be really helpful if you could attach a few photos of the particular tree or shrub or plant that you’re concerned about. Would that be possible?
Ask Extension Question Wrangler Pronouns: she/her/hers Find your local Extension office here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/county Find an expert in a specific topic here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/outreach/experts/experts-by-topic-area Find home gardening information here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/home_gardening/ Order a soil test kit here: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/soil-testing-returns-through-msu-extension Mold questions? We don’t have an expert in mold, but we do have a few resources below or contact the  Michigan health department. Molds in the Home Indoor Air Quality May be Hazardous to Your Health   Mushroom questions? We can’t identify, but we do have these three resources to help you: Identifying  Morel  Poisonous MSU is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status or veteran status. Michigan State University occupies the ancestral, traditional and contemporary lands of the Anishinaabeg, Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi peoples. The University resides on the land ceded in the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw. Replied July 17, 2024, 11:44 AM EDT
IMG_1074


I think it’s the moth—have found a few small green caterpillars. What concerns me is the boxwoods at the entrance to our sub look the same. It happened so fast 









On Jul 17, 2024, at 11:44 AM, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied July 17, 2024, 6:14 PM EDT
Hi Beth -
The extension has an article about the Box Moth.  Please check to see if these caterpillars are the same as the photos in this link:
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/what-growers-and-landscapers-need-to-know-about-box-tree-moth
At the bottom of the article, it says that homeowners should spray at the end of July (now) and start of September with a spray containing bifenthrin. 
Caterpillars are the fastest eaters in the insect world, I'd bet.  
Good luck!
An Ask Extension Expert Replied July 20, 2024, 3:01 AM EDT

Loading ...