Ahh, summertime: A season for kicking back, relaxing, grilling and barbecuing.
And also a time for these horrific monsters:
But what ARE these horrific lumps?!
From one local report in Ohio:
Caterpillars that are camouflage experts and known to cause damage to a variety of plants are now hatching in Ohio.
Joe Boggs, an assistant professor with Ohio State University Extension, is warning residents to be on the lookout for bagworms, which are the caterpillars of bagworm moths. The insects create a bag around themselves using silk and pieces of their host plant, which camouflages them from predators. They often resemble small pine cones.
Yes, "small pine cones." Or pieces of tree bark:
Or jagged chunks of sap and pine needles:
Or elegant arrangements of handsome twigs:
Or, um, whatever this is:
Regrettably, this bug has quite a large spread:
Bagworms feed on a variety of trees and shrubs, with a particular fondness for evergreens, such as juniper, spruce and pine.
Thankfully, it's okay to kill these pests — and you have some options here:
Boggs said an easy way to get rid of bagworms is to pluck them off their hosts and step on them.
Boggs also said insecticides are another option, but some sprays may also kill arthropods that help keep bagworms and other pests at bay. ...
The best long-term solution for keeping the pests away is to plant a variety of flowering plants, which attract insects such as certain wasps that are predators of bagworms, according to Boggs.
So suit up y'all — it's bagworm season!
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