The boxwood moth is a moth and of Asian origin. The boxwood moth probably came along with imports from Asia in 2006 and has few natural enemies in Europe. The preferred plant for depositing eggs is the boxwood plant in the Netherlands and Belgium. The caterpillars that hatch from the eggs then eat the boxwood plants bare. Because the boxwood plants are mostly on private land, combating the boxwood moth and caterpillars is an action for the inhabitants themselves. There are biological pesticides that can be made yourself to make it very difficult for the boxwood moth.
- The boxwood moth in the Netherlands
- Description boxwood moth
- The Caterpillar
- Damage
- Prevent damage
- Catch manually to combat the boxwood moth and caterpillar
- Natural pesticide
- Peppermint
- Rhubarb with soap
- Lure boxes
- Affected boxwood versus Japanese holly
The boxwood moth in the Netherlands
The boxwood moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is family of the grass moths (Crambidae) and is the only one of the genus Cydalima. The boxwood moth is a moth and is native to Japan, China and South Korea and originally this moth does not occur in the Netherlands and Belgium. As of 2007, the boxwood moth has probably been carried along with import items and the exotic reproduced enormously, unaffected by a natural enemy. The female boxwood moths lay as many as 500 to 800 eggs on the boxwood plant in the eight days that they live, all of which hatch under the right conditions. Fortunately, ten years later, enemies like the birds begin to recognize the caterpillar as a tasty snack. To spare the birds (and other insects), combating the boxwood moth and caterpillar with a chemical pesticide is not recommended.
Male boxwood mothDescription boxwood moth
The boxwood moth (Cydalima perspectalis) is a beautiful moth to behold. The wings of the boxwood moth are semi-translucent white with a wide black-brown border on the circumference of the wings. At the transition from the black-brown edge to the white of the wings is a black-white shaped spot. The wings have a wingspan of about four inches. The long, thread-like antennae (antennae) rest on top of the wings of the boxwood moth. The female boxwood moth and the male look exactly the same, except that the female is slightly smaller and there is a difference in the sex organs. These last parts of the abdomen in the male are externally visible and not visible in the female. The female boxwood moth lays an average of five hundred eggs in its short life of about a week. A boxwood moth can raise two to three generations in one year before the caterpillar of the last generation, spun in the autumn, hibernates in the boxwood plant. The spun caterpillars can survive down to -10 ° C in a harsh winter.
Caterpillar boxwood mothThe Caterpillar
The eggs are deposited by the female on the underside of the boxwood leaf in clusters of five to twenty eggs. The caterpillars that have just hatched are dirty yellow in color and when they are about 5 cm long they get longitudinal stripes. Full grown caterpillars are greenish-yellow with white hairs, black and white longitudinal stripes, black and white circles and have a black head. It is the caterpillar that needs the boxwood leaves for food. A full-grown caterpillar is about four inches in size. After a month, the caterpillars pupate. The new pupa is green with light and dark stripes and spots at first and then changes to a brown to cream-colored pupa about two inches long. After two weeks, it becomes a boxwood moth that will live for about eight days.
Damage
When the temperature rises above 10 degrees Celsius in the spring, the boxwood moths become active and the females lay their eggs on the boxwood. The caterpillars eventually cause:
- dry leaves;
- lots of spider silk-like tissue.
Prevent damage
To make it less attractive to the boxwood moth, it is important to keep the boxwood plant (s) healthy. If the resistance is less, the boxwood moth will also sooner settle on a less healthy boxwood than with a healthy boxwood. The boxwood likes to be in loose, airy and calcareous soil. Give the boxwood extra nutrients such as cow manure granules, chicken manure granules or special boxwood manure in February, June and possibly a little in August. Heavy showers can cause the ground to close so that too little oxygen can reach the roots. Poke the ground open ?? with an iron fork and add compost. Wet weather can cause a yellow border to appear around the outline of the leaves. It indicates a calcium and magnesium deficiency because many nutrients have been flushed from the soil by abundant rain. Give the plant extra organic lime pellets.
Catch manually to combat the boxwood moth and caterpillar
And then it turns out that the boxwood has been affected by the boxwood moth. It is a lot of work, but it is advisable to manually remove the eggs, caterpillars and pupae. By shaking the bush a lot will fall out. Great tit, magpie and jackdaw are known as enemies of the caterpillar in 2018 and see it as a tasty snack.
Artificial light out
Turn off the lights in the garden at night. Moth butterflies come in for the light and also the boxwood moth.
Natural pesticide
A natural pesticide to possibly make yourself is a solution with a scent. An odor that disturbs the boxwood scent and helps to prevent the female from laying eggs in the boxwood plant, because it does not have such a nice smell for her. A scent of:
- peppermint;
- rhubarb.
Peppermint
Spraying the boxwood plants with a solution of peppermint can be done with:
- the shoots of the mint plant;
- essential mint oil.
Shoots of the mint plant or essential oil
Take five stems from the mint plant. Let it stand for two days in one liter of water and then fill an atomizer with a compression pump or spray bottle with it. Spray the boxwood with this and repeat this once or twice after about two weeks. Pure essential oil can also be used for this. Use six to eight drops on a liter of water and spray the boxwood plant with it. Repeat this once or twice after two weeks.
Rhubarb with soap
This requires 500 grams of rhubarb leaf and three liters of water to which a dash of Marseille soap is added. Marseille soap consists of natural oils, soda and salt. Repeat watering after three days.
Lure boxes
There are also bait boxes for sale with a biological liquid (pheromone) that attracts the males. The trap is a transparent container with a female attractant, water and soap that the male enters through a funnel hoping to mate. The male wants to fly away again but cannot get out and will drown. The female can no longer be fertilized and cannot deposit eggs on the boxwood. The liquid can be purchased at various (online) stores. After five to six weeks you need to replace the liquid.
The boxwood plant is sprouting againAffected boxwood versus Japanese holly
Many people replace the ugly, diseased boxwood hedges with Japanese holly (Ilex crenata). A green hedge plant that is often used as a replacement for the boxwood hedge, because of its small leaves and compact growth. Before this appears to be the only solution, it is an option to prune the boxwood back considerably in the spring. As a result, the caterpillars have less to eat and can disappear, so that the boxwood plant can sprout again. Throw the pruning waste in a closed bag with the residual waste.
