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suebot

What Is Eating My Weeping Cherry & Roses??

suebot
13 years ago

Hi All,

I never, ever had a insect infestation problem before but today I was weeding and I noticed my Knock-out & Fairy rose leaves looked like lace cutouts. Then on closer inspection I saw a couple of small yellow worms. Yelled for dear hubby and then we saw our Weeping Cherry, which is about 25 ft from the roses, with every leaf eaten and this tree is about 40 ft high. I am sick about my roses and cherry. Whatever is doing this hasn't touched my New Dawn climber yet and better not. Does anyone have any idea what I am up against? I am in Newtown, CT if that helps. This seems to have happened almost overnight. I don't like using chemicals in my yard because we do have well water and a cat. Gosh, if it isn't the deer, moles, voles, slugs, rabbits, chipmunks, then it's the weather! I can't win!!!

Any suggestions would be very appreciated.

Thank you,

suebot in CT

Comments (12)

  • diggingthedirt
    13 years ago

    I agree with Rockman, this sounds like winter moths. They've been eating my cherry trees, roses, & blueberries and assorted other plants -including the maples, but I have such crummy maples that I don't care so much about their health.

    I also second the BT recommendation, I usually apply it at the first sign of these pests, but didn't do so this year - since they're still feeding, I could do it now, but it's more effective on the younger ones and the trees already look awful. It's easily applied with a pump sprayer - can't reach the tops of the trees, but you can cover enough of the visible canopy that it really makes a difference.

    My trees are never defoliated enough to produce new leaves - I think that if there's a decent amount of green left, the trees just accept it that they'll have less food this year. So, I just get to look at holey leaves for the rest of the season.

  • janeb40
    13 years ago

    We had a less severe outbreak at my home this year on the north shore of MA, but it's been awful for the last 3 at least. UMASS extension has oodles of info on their site about the winter month + ongoing research.... here's one to start.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Winter Moth Fact Sheet

  • suebot
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    I want to thank you all for you sage advice. You hit the nail on the head. I do have Winter Moths! My dear hubby sprayed with something but this weekend I will get some spray with BT.

    I appreciate your assistance.

    suebot in CT

  • julesm64
    12 years ago

    Hi,
    All this info has been so helpful; this is about the third year of this mess! I was wondering if someone could answer this question, I had purchased SEVIN spray at Home Depot before I knew what was eating my leaves I was very nervous spraying it because I have a small pond with some fish. I first sprayed my small weeping cherry and in about 5 min started seeing the green caterpillars falling off the tree some hanging but they did not seem to be dying there were so many now on the ground and on my other plants. Will they eventually die or should I treat the ground with BT? Should I respray the trees with BT? Or is that not safe, because I already sprayed the SEVIN? Does anyone know what to do? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  • Moz Tn
    12 years ago

    Weeping cherry will die in a few years of you let these critters have their way. (My neighbor says his weeping cherry died after 3 years of defoliation by winter moths)

    Check out my post in this thread - http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/neweng/msg0510202117522.html?22

  • Joanne Moynihan
    7 years ago

    I bought a small weeping cherry last year. This year, it had lots of buds, which are dry and brown. It has very few leaves. On closer inspection, I see tiny black worms. I was going to spray with sevin, but thought that I would ask here


  • NHBabs z4b-5a NH
    7 years ago

    Joanne - I am glad you asked before spraying! First you need to figure out what caused the dead buds, what bug you have, and from that you can figure out the least toxic solution if any solution is needed. The brown buds may be due to a late spell of cold weather that happened after the tree started pushing its buds. Many areas of New England had this issue this year, with unseasonably warm weather causing trees and shrubs to start opening buds, and then cold weather killing the swelling buds. This effected fruit trees (both ornamental like your cherry and in orchards) as well as other ornamental plants such as hydrangeas. The bugs may just be coincidence or even there to eat the already dead buds - not way to tell without an ID.

    Sevin is a short-term neuotoxin (inhibits mammal nerve and brain cells) if you or your pets are exposed to it, and it is broad spectrum, effecting all insects, other invertebrates such as spiders and crayfish, and fish. It will kill honeybees, and other beneficial insects such as praying mantis and ladybugs along with whatever pests are around, so you may end up with a bigger pest problem down the road if you've indiscriminately killed off the preditor insects along with the problem bugs. So before using something like that, I would be very sure that it is the only possible solution to a problem, and use it with protective gear (keep it off skin and out of eyes, mouth, and nose) as well as washing up well afterwards. Read the label and use only as directed.

    Alternatives:

    - You can take photos, and post on the Insect forum or here on the New England forum to see if you can get an ID. You could get a couple of samples and take them to a master gardener or your local extension office. Once you have an ID you may find that there are less toxic solutions such as Bt, a bacteria that only effects caterpillars, but not other larvae or other animals.

    - Since your tree is still small, you can brush all the tiny black worms into a container of soapy water - they will drown. However, know that all insects have larvae that look worm-like, and lady bugs are one of them with black, scary-looking larvae, so I would get an ID before doing this or anything else that will kill them.

    - This winter, read up on dormant oil sprays and use that before they leaf out if it turns out that your bugs are problem bugs, and now (if needed) you may be able to use a summer oil spray, either of which suffocates insects on contact but doesn't have a lasting effect on other insects.

    We periodically get folks here who have assumed that if a bug is on a plant that is in trouble that the bug must be causing the problem, but often, such as in the case of ladybug larvae, they are helping to solve the problem by eating the problem bugs that are there. So do take the time to ID your critters, and let us know how it goes.

    (PS - For the future, if you start your own thread on the main New England forum page instead of adding to an old one, the replies will get delivered to your mailbox, so you won't miss any.)

  • Joanne Moynihan
    7 years ago

    Thanks for responding. I also wasn't sure if I should cut back, but will wait to see what happens.

  • jfpear
    7 years ago

    Is it too late to treat my roses, blueberries and non-weeping cherry tree this year? I just noticed ones of the two blueberries planted last year (small) has the same look as the rose bush and the cherry tree near the rose seems to be infested also.

  • Lalala (zone 6b)
    7 years ago

    jfpear, depending on where you are, it's probably too late. In most of Massachusetts and Southern New England the winter moth infestation is over for the year as the caterpillars have pupated and gone underground (though the leaf damage remains). Even if you still have caterpillars it's probably almost finished. Bt has to be applied early in the caterpillars' life stage but Spinosad is an option for later application--with Spinosad just be very careful not to apply when/where bees might visit while it's wet because it's toxic to them. Otherwise the plants should produce a new flush of leaves for this year that will make everything look a bit better, and next year you can keep an eye out for the first signs of damage and apply Bt then. Around me (near Boston) this is usually the last week of April or first week of May.

  • Joanne Moynihan
    7 years ago

    I cut the branches back to the trunk. I also used an organic spray. There are many leaves now. Will watch and protect trunk with foil