Damage:
Young boxwood moth caterpillars rasp green tissue from leaf undersides so the leaves appear peeled. Older larvae skeletonize entire leaves. Persistent feeding weakens boxwoods, causes unsightly brown patches, and may kill weak plants.
Preventing Problems:
Carefully inspect new boxwoods before planting them, because this pest has secretly spread in nurseries. As a safety precaution, treat new boxwoods with a Bacillus thuringiensis-based organic pesticide if any leaves show feeding damage.
Managing Outbreaks:
Wrap the end of a stick with outward-facing tape and use it to loosen and gather actively feeding caterpillars by swirling up webbing with the sticky end. Immediately treat plants with an organic pesticide with Bacillus thuringiensis or Spinosad as its active ingredient, taking care to cover leaf undersides. Repeat after 10 days to kill small larvae that may have hatched. In most areas this pest should be reported to local agricultural authorities, who may use pheromone traps to monitor or capture highly localized outbreaks.
Tips:
Several cultivars of inkberry holly, native to the US, can be used as boxwood substitutes in areas where box tree moth or boxwood blight are serious problems.