The box tree moth appears for a second time in August.
If you fought the box tree moth in the spring and then had peace and quiet, you often think the matter is settled. It is not. The moth has several generations per year in Central Europe, and the second one is currently underway.
buxit® box tree protective net
Sold by the meter from 1 to 10 meters, starting at €19.99. Stays on the plant throughout autumn and winter.
To the protective netWhy late summer is the more dangerous time
In the spring, you usually notice an infestation in time because you are in the garden anyway and looking at your plants. In August, nobody looks that closely anymore. The box tree is green, the patio is more important, and the caterpillars are sitting inside the shrub where you cannot see them from the outside.
Furthermore: A plant that is eaten bare in August has hardly any time to sprout again before winter. It enters the cold season in a weakened state. And the caterpillars of the last generation hibernate directly in the plant, spun in between the leaves. In the spring, they start eating right where they left off. A late summer infestation that you overlook is therefore not a problem for this autumn, but for the next two years.
How to tell if it is already there
Do not look at the outside; reach into the shrub and push the branches apart.
You will find fine webs that look like spiderwebs but are firmer. You will find green crumbs; that is the excrement. You will find leaves where only the veins remain. And if it is far advanced, you will find branches where the bark has been peeled away – that is the point from which the plant will no longer recover.
The caterpillars themselves are green with dark longitudinal stripes and black heads. They sit deep inside. A second look is always worth it, even if the first one revealed nothing.
What to do now – in this order
First, pick them off. Whatever is already in the plant must come out. Pick them off, shake them out vigorously, or rinse them out from the inside out with a jet of water. This is unpleasant, but it is the only step that no tool can replace.
Then, cover it. Only when the plant is clear should you put the net over it. Otherwise, you lock the caterpillars in instead of locking the moths out.
And then leave it on. A net that stays on the plant over autumn and winter is already in place in the spring when the first generation flies. Precisely when most people are not yet thinking about it.
Why a net and not a spray
A spray must be applied at the right larval stage, it gets washed off by rain, and it must be repeated. It also affects insects that you actually want to have in your garden. Anyone who has vegetables growing next to the box tree or has children and dogs in the garden has the same dilemma every time.
A net does not have this dilemma. It works mechanically: The moth finds no place to land and lay eggs. Where there are no eggs, no caterpillars develop. This works just as well in rain as it does in sunshine, and it works in the third year just as well as in the first.
Which length you need
The buxit® protective net is available by the meter from one to ten meters. Measure the plant all the way around at its widest point and add the height to that. For a sphere with a diameter of about 40 centimeters, one meter is usually sufficient; for a larger solitary plant or a pyramid, allow for two to three meters. For a hedge, measure the length of the row.
If you are unsure, send us a photo of the plant with a tape measure next to it. We will tell you which length fits. That is faster than ordering twice.
A closing word
Box trees grow slowly. A sphere that stands in the garden today is often older than the garden itself, and in many cases, older than the house. That is why the effort, which one would never make for a one-year plant, is worth it.
Order buxit® protective net now
You can find more about box trees under Box Tree Protection.
