Invasion of the box tree borer: successful garden maintenance in Wiesenfeld!

Invasion of the box tree borer: successful garden maintenance in Wiesenfeld!

The box tree borer, a voracious pest, caused a stir in Waldeck-Frankenberg in the last weeks of summer. In Wiesenfeld in particular, hobby gardeners like Elke Beaupain quickly noticed the spread of this voracious caterpillar and took timely action. She relied on biological control methods to protect her boxwood plants. It cannot be emphasized enough how important early action is to avoid major damage. But what kind of pest actually is?

The box tree borer (Cydalima perspectalis) originally comes from East Asia and has spread rapidly since it was introduced to Europe in 2007. It is a butterfly that only has a short lifespan of eight days, but during this time it lays hundreds of eggs that grow into hungry caterpillars. These larvae cause damage to the box trees and can lead to major loss of the plants. The female lays over 150 eggs on the underside of the leaves, which doesn't make fighting them any easier - because the small caterpillars are very mobile and cleverly hide when touched.

Campaign against the pest

In Wiesenfeld, the members of the women's group of the local history association also got together to prepare garden plants for the upcoming 12th Wiesenfeld herb market. They used algae lime to make the foliage inedible for the caterpillars. According to reports from the HNA The measures were successful and the gardens now shine in their full splendor again. Неnenschinaxer Garden has great value, because the cold and heat are impervious to nature, so that the experience is alive.

Local wildlife, particularly wasps and birds, also show interest in the delicate caterpillars. These predators can intercept at least some of the pests, even if the eggs are often well protected. However, Nabu district chairman Heinz-Günter Schneider warns against resorting to chemical agents, as these could endanger not only pests, but also beneficial insects and birds.

Practical combat tips

Garden owners should act immediately at the first signs such as dry, brown leaves or webs. This also recommends My beautiful garden. Caterpillars can be harvested and destroyed, and to support natural predators it makes sense to promote bird habitat. Recommended control methods include:

• Absammeln der Raupen bei geringem Befall.
• Hochdruckreiniger zur Entfernung von Raupen.
• Radikalschnitt bei starkem Befall.
• Verwendung von biologischen Spritzmitteln wie Azadirachtin aus Neemsamen.

Fighting the boxwood borer often requires a little patience, but platforms like this are becoming increasingly popular Garden flora an indispensable point of contact for exchanging tips and tricks. If you take care of your plants regularly and take the experts' suggestions into account, you will soon be able to enjoy your boxwood trees again. In any case, you shouldn't wait and take stubborn action against the borer immediately - the plants will thank you!