I Fought the Worms and the Worms Won

When I came home a week ago from a trip to Colorado, I saw a few leaves on the high bush cranberry were damaged by worms. These are the same critters who lunched there last year, short black guys who hide on the underside of the leaf and eat all but the veins, leaving an openwork lace design behind.

Unfortunately, I did not immediately take action and only a few days later, they had seriously worked over the bush, damaging over half the leaves. These worms do not appear to move much but they certainly got around when I wasn’t looking.

Two days ago I sprayed vigorously but the bush still looks pathetic. These worms also attack apple trees so be prepared. The spray contains Bacillus Thuringiensis or BTK, a bacterium that kills all sorts of caterpillars by infecting their digestive system. The stuff is safe for animals and people although I would not want to test this out. I spray when no one is around and no kids or pets will be visiting. I would not spray near bird baths because this mixture can contaminate water.

I use Safer’s BTK concentrate costing about 11$ for a small bottle which contains enough concentrate to last me for life. I keep it in the fridge as per the directions on the bottle to keep the stuff cool.

This stuff really works but you have to get it under the leaves. Surprisingly, you can’t often see the little pests at first but when you stoop to see under the leaves, you see three or four black stripes per leaf. The spray makes them stop feeding and then later, they fall off, thank heaven.

Last year I vowed I catch these guys early this year before they did much damage. I was not prepared for their lightening-like ability to strip a bush in a day or two. Next year, I will catch these guys before they do much damage, before they do anything at all. I’ll start spraying is I see one hole in a leaf…