Fight the boxwood caterpillar with home remedies

Close-meshed networks

The boxwood moth overwinters as an egg in a protective web inside the boxwood. With the rising spring temperatures the larvae hatch and start eating right away. The first moths appear around May and prefer to lay their eggs on box trees that have not yet been infested. You can protect these in turn by draping close-meshed nets over them - laying eggs, and thus the next generation, is made impossible for the butterfly. However, since around two to three generations develop each year, the network would have to stay in place continuously between the beginning of March and the end of September. Of course, it looks less appealing.

Pressure washer / vacuum cleaner

During the "moth season" between March and September, it is advisable to regularly check existing box trees for caterpillars and eggs. You should carefully pull the bushes and hedges apart and take a look inside, as the animals prefer to stay in the dark. In the event of a caterpillar infestation, cover the ground around the affected boxwood with a film or tarpaulin and reach for it

high pressure cleaner.(€ 199.00 at Amazon *) With this blow or Rinse the pests out of the plant and then only need to pick up the pad with them and dispose of it. Alternatively, mechanical removal works with a leaf blower or a vacuum cleaner. For the latter, you would need a joint attachment with which you can vacuum the animals in a targeted manner. But be careful: the caterpillars are amazingly nimble as soon as they perceive vibrations. In addition, this measure has to be repeated frequently, as it can lead to renewed infestation again and again.

Remove caterpillars with a high-pressure cleaner - this is how it works:

• Cover the floor with foil, fleece or a tarpaulin
• this by means of stones or the like ä. complain
• Treat plants with a pressure washer (or other suitable device)
• make sure that the caterpillars are all on the surface (and not in the grass etc.) Ä.) land
• Collect animals frequently and after just a few meters
• Otherwise these can escape and infest the box trees again

Algae lime

It has been known since 2016 that Algae lime - a means that actually for Fertilize as well as is used for soil improvement - is excellent against the box tree moth. To prevent an infestation or However, you need to contain all of the boxwoods with you Algae lime dust over. This is not only visually unappealing, but also creates other problems:

• The leaves dusted with the lime are no longer fully capable of photosynthesis.
• Algae lime blocks the stomata so that shoot growth is inhibited.
• Frequent use imbalances the pH of the soil.
• As a result, the absorption of nutrients is made more difficult.
• The effects on local insect and bird life have not yet been adequately researched.

Given these findings, the use of algae lime should be carefully considered. However, if the infestation pressure is very high and you cannot otherwise master the plague, the remedy is a good remedy. It also ensures that no new caterpillars hatch from eggs that have already been laid.

Opaque garbage bag

This method only works on hot and sunny days:

• In the morning, put a large, opaque plastic bag over an infected book.
• Garbage bags are ideal for this.
• The cover should remain on the shrub until evening.
• Heat accumulates under the garbage bag, which causes the moth caterpillars to die off.
• The Buchs, on the other hand, usually survives the treatment without consequences.
• Collect the caterpillars in the evening and dispose of them.

In order to have lasting success with the treatment, you should repeat it at regular intervals. The eggs do not die due to the heat, so new caterpillars can be found on the plant after a few days or weeks. However, over time you reduce the infestation pressure, as fewer caterpillars mean fewer egg-laying moths.