Box tree moth in autumn and winter: what you can do now
By October, there is usually nothing left to be seen of the box tree moth. The moths are no longer flying, the boxwood stands green in the garden, and you have checked the topic off for this year. However, it is not quiet: the caterpillars of the last generation hibernate directly in the plant, spun in between the leaves. In the spring, they continue feeding right where they left off.
buxit® box tree protective net
Sold by the meter, 42 centimeters wide, from 1 to 10 meters, from €19.99. No sprays required.
To the protective netTake a closer look now
From the outside, an infested boxwood often looks healthy in autumn. Therefore, reach into the shrub and push the branches apart. Fine webbing that looks like spider webs, green crumbs, and leaves skeletonized down to the veins indicate that caterpillars are inside the plant.
What you can do in autumn
What is already in the plant must come out: collect them by hand, shake them out vigorously, or rinse them out from the inside out with a water jet. This is the only step that no auxiliary tool can replace, because a net keeps new moths out but does not remove insects that are already inside.
You should no longer prune them into shape now. Pruning after the end of September triggers new growth, and the fresh shoots will not become hard enough before winter.
Use the quiet time to take measurements
The buxit® net is sold by the meter and is 42 centimeters wide. It is not a ready-made cover, but a strip that you lay over the plant. This is how you calculate your needs: measure the diameter at the widest point and the height. Diameter times height times 3.14 equals the surface area. Divide this area by 0.42 and add about ten percent for the overlap.
An example: A sphere with a diameter of 60 centimeters and a height of 60 centimeters has a surface area of 1.13 square meters. Divided by 0.42, that is 2.7 meters, so with overlap, about 3 meters. For a hedge, measure the length, height, and width: length multiplied by the sum of twice the height and once the width equals the surface area; then calculate in the same way.
Be in time for spring
The first generation of moths usually flies from April onwards. The net should be on the plant before the moths are active. The moth finds no place to land on the net with its fine spikes and therefore does not lay any eggs. Where there are no eggs, there are no caterpillars. Those who measure and order now will have the net ready to hand when the time comes.
Leave it on over the winter
If the net is already on the plant, simply leave it on over the winter. Then it is already there in the spring when the first generation flies—just when most people are not yet thinking about it. And in winter, the net additionally helps against snow breakage.
A net for several years
The fabric is UV-resistant and survives several seasons outdoors. It is elastic and adapts to spheres, pyramids, cones, and hedges. It is not washed off by rain, requires no reapplication, and does not affect insects you want to have in your garden.
If you are unsure which length you need, send us the dimensions or a photo with a folding rule next to it via the contact form. We will calculate it for you.
