Rudy Bears distributed
The Contentnea Ruritan Club is donating Rudy Bear teddy bears to area fire departments.
The teddy bears are given to young children involved in rescue operations. The Hugo Volunteer Fire Department was a recent recipient.
Johnny Craft, Hugo fire chief, and Alonza Gray accepted the teddy bears from Contentnea Ruritan Club President Ron Jones.
Gardening Guru: Check for bagworms now
Bagworms can be found throughout North Carolina and are a pest in the arborvitae and juniper plant families. A few bagworms do relatively little harm feeding on leaves, but hundreds and thousands can defoliate, or even kill, conifers within a short time.
Hatched bagworms are only an eighth of an inch long. They can grow to almost 2inches. Each bagworm is covered by a bag of white silk with bits of the host plant spun onto the outer surface. Seeing the young bagworm is difficult without careful observation.
Female bagworms are wingless, legless and grub-like — they never leave the bag. Males are small, brown, hairy moths with dark wings that clear with age. Eggs overwinter inside the female’s bag, which can contain 500 to 1,000 eggs.
Hatched in May and June, the new larvae spin down on silken threads and are blown about by spring breezes. Most land on the host plant, but some may be “ballooned” for some distance.
Upon reaching a suitable host, the worm begins to spin its bag and incorporate host plant foliage for camouflage. As the worm grows, it enlarges the bag and adds fresh plant material to the outside.
In August, the worms mature and molt into the pupal stage. The bag is firmly attached by a sturdy silk band, which usually is wrapped around a twig. During August and September, male moths emerge to mate. After mating, females lay their eggs inside the pupal cast skins and die.
If newly hatched larvae reach a different plant from the parents’ host plant, they may have difficulty adapting and could die or produce only a few offspring. After several years of struggling, the right combination of genes for the “new” plant may come together, and suddenly the new plant is covered with bagworms.
When practical, bagworms can be removed with scissors or a sharp knife. Insecticides — effective particularly when applied in June or early July — include acephate (Orthene), bacillus thuringiensis B.t. (Biotrol, Dipel), carbaryl (Sevin), malathion and Spinosad.
Damage by bagworms is currently noticeable in landscapes, so check your plants carefully to prevent injury. For more information, go to ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/O&T/trees/ort081e/ort081e.htm.
Peg Godwin is horticulture agent, Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Center. Reach her at Peg_Godwin@ncsu.edu or 252-527-2191.
