Arborvitae

PLEASE....I need help! Just noticed tonight that one of my large arborvitae has tiny bagworms all over it...wayyyyyy too many to hand pick. Also it is about 8 ft. tall. What can I use to get rid of them?? I hate to lose this shrub.

I didn't think bag worms liked evergreens. I usually get them before they leave their 'bag'. I cut the branch off and burn it. All while making evil sounds like "die, die, die, you bas__rds. I would go buy some spray at the hardware store. Then as you spray you can say, "die, die, die, you bas__rds!
Better check your other trees nearby. Hope you find the bags before they get out. Good luck. The spray should work.

Oh yeah...they like evergreens! And we can see the bags....they wiggle!!! But there are literally thousands of them. I am gonna spray with something...not sure what? But from what I have heard, it doesn't do much good.

Best is hand picking - the 'bag' they cover themselves in makes it difficult for sprays to work. Give it an hour or two over a couple of days, you'll be surprised how many you can get off.

Also hang a bird feeder in the tree, birds "waiting in the queue" will deal with a lot.

Resin

Bagworms are almost an annual threat to my thuja and chamaecyparis nootka.
But they are easy to pick off, except when the tree is too tall.
I hadn't thought of using mother nature's aviary solution.
Thanks for the suggestion, Resin!

Well...thanks to all...I will try to pick them off. But they are so small...hmmm...maybe 1//2 inch long? Tiny little things that are wiggling all over the shrub. I know they will get bigger, but by then the shrub will be in really bad shape too.

You can try natural 'Bacillus thuricide' which attacks and kills only caterpillars (which bagworms are). Also, Sevin spray will take care of them. As long as the foliage is wet with the insecticide, when they eat it, their protective cases don't save them. You might need to spray a couple of times to get them all.

Preventative measures include systemics, but they need a few weeks to get into the plant.

Picking them off will help, but you'll miss many of them, and they can do severe damage in just a few weeks as they keep growing and growing!

Note to pastime: I think you're thinking of tentworms (or webworms), not bagworms. Tentworms usually attack deciduous trees, for sure. Bagworms LOVE evergreen, starting with arborvitaes and junipers. I've seen a mature blue spruce killed over a period of two years of infestations.

Thank you HoosierGreen....Sevin is what I was thinking of using. I will try that too.

Bear in mind though that Sevin will kill off most of the other wildlife in the area. It is banned in many countries because of its environmental damage.

Resin

Wow Resin....I didn't know that! Thanks.

I'm not sure Sevin will affect any wildlife beyond a few inches from the shrub, if that... certainly not deer, rabbits, etc. I'm not a big fan of insecticides, etc. but when a valuable shrub (tree, house, etc.) is at stake, I think careful, limited, and selective use of pesticides is warranted. I certainly agree that their use is a serious environmental problem and that they are hugely overused. That's why I recommended that Bacillus thuricide be tried first. (P.S. I have a huge, completely organic vegetable garden.)

HoosierGreen, I didn't know there was a difference. Thanks for the info.
Marcy_One: I hope you get those guys.