Consider Them Gone®
Bagworms and cocoon Pest Control Elimination & Extermination
What are these Brown Cocoons on my bush?
Why are my shrubs, bushes, & plants dead?
Bagworms are about a quarter inch to as big as 2 inches long depending on their age. The head and forward parts are dark and hardened and the rest is paler and soft. Bagworms are covered by a bag constructed of white silk with bits of the host plant spun onto the outer surface. The pupae are dark brown. The pupal stage occurs inside the bag. Female bagworms are wingless, legless and grub-like (and they never leave the bag). Males are small, brown hairy moths with dark wings that become clear as they get older.
Bagworms feed primarily on evergreen trees and evergreen shrubs and bushes. Each year thousands of bushes, plants, and shrubs are ravaged by bagworms in Raleigh and the rest of North Carolina.
When quantities of bagworms are low, bagworms can be removed manually with a scissors or knife. Insecticides are very effective when applied in late spring and early summer when the bagworms are young and sensitive. The following insecticides are excellent for bagworm infestation pest control, elimination, and extermination.
| pesticide (Trade Name) |
Formulation |
Amount of Formulation |
| *acephate (Orthene) |
9.4 % emulsifiable concentrate |
3 tablespoons per gallon of water. |
| acephate (Orthene) |
75 % soluble powder |
1/3 pound per 100 gallons of water. |
| *Bacillus thuringiensis B.t.( Biotrol, Dipel) |
3.2 to 20 % |
1 to 4.5 teaspoons per gallon of water depending on label directions. |
| bifenthrin (Talstar) |
10 % wettable powder |
1 to 5 teaspoons per gallon of water. |
| chlorantraniliprole (Acelepryn) |
follow label directions |
| *carbaryl (Sevin) |
several formulations on the market; follow label directions. |
| cyfluthrin (Decathlon) |
20 % wettable powder |
6 tablespoons per 100 gallons of water. |
| fluvalinate (Mavrik Aquaflo) |
22.3 % aquaeous suspension |
1/8 to 5/8 teaspoon per gallon of water. |
| *malathion (Cythion) |
56 % emulsifiable concentrate |
1-1/2 teaspoons per gallon of water. |
| permethrin (Astro) |
36.8 emulsifiable concentrate |
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per gallon of water. |
| spinosad (Conserve SC) |
11.6% emulsifiable concentrate |
3/8 teaspoon per gallon of water |
Source: North Carolina State University
