Caterpillars killed my bush. What now?

Caterpillars killed my bush. What now?

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Discussion

Wish

1,374 posts

255 months

Sunday 6th March 2022
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We got hundreds of meters of box in the garden. I’ve never had a problem until last year, where they wiped out a section of box. I used the stuff from Amazon cost a small fortune but seems to have worked well.




Diderot

8,024 posts

198 months

Sunday 6th March 2022
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We’ve had ours decimated by the bds last year. Thanks for the advice above, will give that a try.

rossyl

1,160 posts

173 months

Sunday 6th March 2022
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BUY THIS!!

You can still have box hedging, you just need to control the pests. This is the ONLY thing that works.

https://www.provendernurseries.co.uk/xentari


RichB

52,671 posts

290 months

Sunday 6th March 2022
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Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
<clip> And we’re coming up to the start of box caterpillar season. I’ll be starting my regular spraying soon!
I wonder when the best time to apply the first spray is? I would think 3 -4 weeks time but interested in other's thoughts.

Wish

1,374 posts

255 months

Sunday 6th March 2022
quotequote all
rossyl said:
BUY THIS!!

You can still have box hedging, you just need to control the pests. This is the ONLY thing that works.

https://www.provendernurseries.co.uk/xentari
This is what I used.

sleepezy

1,925 posts

240 months

Monday 7th March 2022
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rossyl said:
BUY THIS!!
This was recommended at the start of the thread and several people have already got some confused

Dr Mike Oxgreen

4,205 posts

171 months

Monday 7th March 2022
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RichB said:
I wonder when the best time to apply the first spray is? I would think 3 -4 weeks time but interested in other's thoughts.
I’ve read that March to October is the season. Caterpillars can survive over winter and apparently start eating when temperature is 15°C. On that basis it’s probably a week or two early in the south, but getting very close.

RichB

52,671 posts

290 months

Monday 7th March 2022
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Dr Mike Oxgreen said:
RichB said:
I wonder when the best time to apply the first spray is? I would think 3 -4 weeks time but interested in other's thoughts.
I’ve read that March to October is the season. Caterpillars can survive over winter and apparently start eating when temperature is 15°C. On that basis it’s probably a week or two early in the south, but getting very close.
I would dream of 15°C - today was freezing! laugh

PhilboSE

4,711 posts

232 months

Friday 6th May 2022
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Well this morning I had 5 healthy buxus balls. This evening they’re all on the way to being eaten and I can see the wriggly bstards inside the bush.

Xentari doesn’t seem to be available and the link above goes to a dead link. I’ll try picking the buggers off tomorrow but in the meantime anyone know where I can get any of the magic potion?

RichB

52,671 posts

290 months

Friday 6th May 2022
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Crikey, I bought some from Amazon only a couple of weeks ago. Has it been puled off sale? eek

Seems Amazon are not selling Topbuxus Xentari but there are other suppliers fortunately.

https://www.onbuy.com/gb/topbuxus-xentari-box-tree...

Edited by RichB on Friday 6th May 22:29

PhilboSE

4,711 posts

232 months

Friday 6th May 2022
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Thanks chaps. The Amazon supplier won’t deliver till the 14th or later by which time it’ll be too late. Hopefully Onbuy can deliver more quickly.

sleepezy

1,925 posts

240 months

Friday 6th May 2022
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Amazon are hugely cutting back on the lines they can't make profit targets on. Hope this isn't one of them.

doogle83

775 posts

153 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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doogle83 said:
Mine is coming back as well! thumbup
I gave up on our 2 and cut them out last weekend. Went to put the green waste bin out the day after and it was COVERED in caterpillars trying to escape!. vomit

I couldn't see any of them looking at the hedge the day before, glad i don't have to battle them again this year now tbh.

yellowjack

17,238 posts

172 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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I wish I'd found this thread a bit earlier.

They've had my Box hedge. All of it. 24 foot long and over 7 foot high. Turned into a pile of caterpillar poop on the path beneath it. They're like the bloody SAS too. Dropping off the bush on silken threads, lowering themselves to the ground then making off "on foot", like troopers rappelling from a helicopter. This is presumably because they've eaten themselves out of house and home? I swept a load (probably 30 0r 40) of them up in a dustpan and put them in the green waste bin, but they were in the process of escaping a few hours later when I swept up a load more. Tomorrow I shall begin putting them in the brazier on some old newspapers soaked in aerosol brake cleaner. This will, I believe, do nothing to save my Box hedge, but should be rather satisfying. Then I intend to order some of that XenTari to treat the little bar stewards that I cannot see. I took pictures of them, which I may upload if I can be bothered. The bush/hedge appears to be beyond redemption initially, but on close inspection there are a few green leaves that the little sods have missed, so with some care and patience it may recover. Grrrr! rage

MDifficult

Original Poster:

2,169 posts

191 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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Sorry to hear so many are going through the same thing - as OP I guess I should do a quick update.

The main bush didn’t make it. What little green there was disappeared and we pulled it out and burned it last weekend.

The second bush is ailing but coming back - I doused it in the magic potion last weekend having spotted both caterpillars and the return of silk so let’s see how that goes.

This is the box that we had to remove:


Dr Mike Oxgreen

4,205 posts

171 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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I’ve just noticed that my box ball, about 4 or 5 feet in diameter and 3 feet tall, has caterpillars on it. Fortunately there’s little to no damage yet.

What alerted me is very encouraging: I noticed a continual stream of sparrows coming and going. They fly in and hunt around going quite deep into the foliage, then fly off with something green dangling from their beaks. Clearly they’re eating the caterpillars or feeding them to their chicks, which is great news.

I reckon I’m seeing them catch at least five to ten per minute!

I’ll give the sparrows the rest of the day to have their fill, then spray this evening with XenTari.

RichB

52,671 posts

290 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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It's good that the sparrows are starting to recognise these caterpillars as food.

pquinn

7,167 posts

52 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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Just spotted the first ones so nuked them with the same systemic stuff I put on the other plants that have been getting munched. Worked last year to stop them and everything grew back fine even after being thoroughly chomped. Seems to be working at the moment as they're already looking a lot less lively.

Birds don't seem to touch them so there's obviously plenty of easier/tastier pickings elsewhere.

PhilboSE

4,711 posts

232 months

Saturday 7th May 2022
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Ordered some Xentari today. Picked about 50 of the little darlings from one infected plant but they were going dormant so will start again tomorrow morning when they’re more active and visible. Still had a few trying the silky rappel to freedom.

Turns out they can’t swim.