The right control at the right time will make you successful in the fight against the box tree moth. Find out here what works and when.
The best method of fighting will benefit yours Boxwood (Buxus) nothing if the timing is wrong. Because in many phases of his life he is Box tree moth (Cydalima perspectalis) Protected against attackers through sophisticated tactics. So that you always have a suitable strategy for action ready, we have selected the right times for each approach.
If you want to control the box tree moth effectively, you have to dive deep into its biology and development cycle - or You can read up on when the boxwood moth is best fought with traps, pruning, water, collecting or spraying.
When to set the box tree moth traps?
The short-lived Boxwood moth are mainly active at night, then mate and lay eggs. Voracious larvae will hatch from them soon after the moths fly. Therefore, observing the butterfly flight is a first, important step if you want to successfully control the borer right from the start. With the help of
Pheromone traps for boxwood moths like the Plantura Moth trap, know when to expect eggs and caterpillars. Traps should be used in June, August and September.Note: In very warm years, the development of the moth can accelerate, so that the butterfly flight takes place two to four weeks earlier.
When to collect the box tree moth?
The manual collection or cutting out of entire shoots with Box tree moth caterpillars is only worthwhile with a low infestation. Checks for webs in the inner and outer areas of box trees can be carried out from mid-April. Because the development time of the moth shifts depending on the weather, we recommend at least monthly checks by September.
Ideally, it should be collected when the early larval stages are still spun into webs and leaves are living inside the bush - at this point the infestation from the outside has not yet occurred visible. If the caterpillars later eat freely in the outer areas, they can also be rinsed off with a hard water jet. By the way, you don't have to worry about skin contact with the green caterpillars: the box tree moth is only poisonous internally. You can find more on this topic in our special article "Are boxwood moths poisonous?“. This is also the reason for this Disposal of the box tree moth not as complicated as you might think.
Tip: If you have very young boxwood moth larvae and eggs in the Making up the outside of your boxwood, immediate pruning is a good method of removing the Pests.
When to spray against the boxwood moth?
Eggs and pupae are protected against pesticides, butterflies fly away and young larval stages stay in webs and leaf covers. If an infestation is to be treated with pesticides, the caterpillars should be free-feeding in the outer areas of the bush so that they can be hit by the pesticide. This is usually the case in the second half of April and early July. Of course, there are also systemically acting agents that are ingested by the caterpillars through feeding on the boxwood. In order to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, however, the use of so-called Bt preparations such as ours is recommended Plantura borer-free XenTari®. If these hit the caterpillar directly, the control success is very high.
Summary: When to fight the box tree moth?
- Pheromone traps should be used in June, August and September. In warmer years, the moths of the borer can appear earlier.
- The control on webs, feces and Moth caterpillars makes sense at least once a month between April and September.
- Two weeks after the butterfly flight, eggs and young larvae can be removed by cutting.
- The best time to spray against the boxwood moth is in the second half of April and the beginning of July.
Ways to Combating the borer, we have summarized for you here in our special article.
