Bagworm

Bagworm insects feed on a wide range of plants. Arborvitae and junipers are some the more commonly attacked evergreens.The larvae are caterpillars that grow into moths. However, the adult female does not look like a moth. The female has no eyes, wings, legs, antennae or functional mouthparts. From the time the female larva builds her bag, she never leaves it. The male bagworms which are black with clear wings, leaves his bag and flies to the female, mates and dies several days later. The bag is a combination of silk webbing and parts of the plant. The bagworms over-winter as eggs. There can be between 500 and 1,000 eggs per "female" bag. The eggs hatch from late May to mid-June. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the upper part of the upper leaf surface.