Hobbies And Interests
Bagworms
The Bagworm, or Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis (Haworth), is the larva of a moth. Native to Pennsylvania, the bagworm feeds on and causes damage to numerous kinds of deciduous and evergreen plant life. Because its cone-shaped cocoon often goes mistaken for a pine cone, the larvae can thrive in densely forested areas unharmed, causing severe infestation once the larvae hatch. Some of the more common plants affected by bagworms include fir trees, hemlock, juniper, pine, honeylocust, sweetgum and sycamore.
Identification and Management
Bagworms are most easily identified by their pine-cone-shaped cocoons woven with silk around the twigs and leaves of the host plant, giving the insect its superior cone-like disguise. Despite their shiny, black tops, newly woven bagworm larvae have a dull, amber colored underside. Once grown, the bagworm turns gray and dirty with dark markings around the head. Bagworm cocoons can be picked off trees and destroyed by hand before they hatch to control infestation. Insecticides may also be used at the early larvae stage.
Cadisflies
Closely related to moths and butterflies, the caddisfly experiences all stages of metamorphoses, egg, larva, pupa and adult. Because they develop from aquatic larvae, adult caddisflies, also called sedge-flies or rail-flies, are commonly found living near streams, rivers, lakes or ponds. Though caddisflies exist in bodies of water with varying quality, the presence of caddisflies often indicates a clean water source. Surveys of water bodies often heavily feature recordings of caddisfly presence as a means of assessing the quality of the surrounding ecology.
Caddisfly Cases
Many caddisfly larvae build cases in which to develop into full grown insects. These protective cases are camouflaged to meld with the environment by weaving silk with dirt, gravel, twigs and debris from environmental surroundings into the case, giving it a pine cone appearance. Case-making caddisfly remain inside their cases throughout the larval stage, adding material to the case so that it increases in size as the insect grows. The life cycle of a caddisfly completes itself in approximately one year.