28 March 2023

Customer Question – Box Blight or Caterpillar damage

Q. “Good morning, Please could you tell me if the Box Caterpillar is the same as the Box hedge blight caterpillar/moth that eats and kills Box hedging? I’ve searched my hedges, something is eating the leaves leaving bare stems but I can’t see anything or any webs. My hedges look as though they’re dying but it could also be from the drought. I did wonder if it was worth applying this box nematode you are advertising.??” Kind regards Linda

A. Thanks for the message and box moth caterpillar is one pest i.e. the moths lay eggs in the hedge / plants and these hatch into he caterpillars that feed to the leaves before turning into moths and repeating the life cycle – there can be up to 3 generations a year. Box Blight is something different – Box blight is a fungal disease, which causes leaves to go brown and fall off, leading to bare patches, which makes the plants unsightly. Unfortunately the symptoms of both are similar i.e. the plants lose leaves, but with blight the leaves will go brown 1st and then fall off ,so they will be under the plant where as the caterpillar is eating them, so they will just disappear. With the caterpillars you will also see evidence of webbing / the caterpillars themselves, which I know you have looked for, but have a good look inside the plant where they tend to stick leaves together and then hide inside. If you spot caterpillars you can treat with Box Tree Caterpillar Nematodes as soon as the daytime temperature averages 12c. It is also a good idea to position a Box Moth Trap  to catch moths as they emerge or to stop ones coming in that are in the area? If you still cannot find any caterpillars and you think it is more likely to be blight, then spray now with Topbuxus Health Mix to kill the fungal spores both on the plant and underneath it. It is also a good idea to clear any dead leaves under the plant.

We also have a NEW Buxus Grow Fertiliser, which has been developed by a buxus grower to help plants recover form both caterpillar and blight attacks.

I hope this helps. Kind regards Jon @ Green Gardener

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