A local cattle farmer (South Africa) suspects that the cases constructed by bagworms cause a blockage (or something similar) in his livestock. Can anyone comment on this possibility? And maybe any extra info on how to control this?
Bagworm moths belong to family Psychidae Lepidoptera. Simply bagworms or bagmoths) are a family of the(butterflies and moths). The bagworm family is fairly small, with about 1350 species. Snailcase Bagworm (Apterona helicoidella),The bagworms belong to the superfamily Tineoidea, which is a basal lineage of the Ditrysia just as the Gelechioidea, in which the case-bearers are placed. This means that the bagworms and case-bearers are only as closely related to each other as either is to butterflies (Rhopalocera).Since bagworm cases are composed of silk and the materials from their habitat, they are naturally camouflaged from predators. Predators include birds and other insects. Birds often eat the egg-laden bodies of female bagworms after they have died. Since the eggs are very hard-shelled, they can pass through the bird's digestive system unharmed, promoting the spread of the species over wide area. Bagworm in rainy season start damage eating the trees. Possible them are harmful to cattle also, having secretions or eggs of bagworm in green feeds may chock digestive system in cattle.
Dear Colleague, as mentioned by Ravi, bagworm moth may make problems in digestive system in cattle. I think, that mechanism may be dependend also on composition of bags - they are formed by silken material and covered often by sand or small pieces of soil. This (mainly silk) might have impact on digestion too. They also may concentrate natural pyrethrum (or other natural insecticides) in their bodies and/or aditional toxic chemicals - as a result of feeding on vegetation (also on lichens). Thus, it seems to me real, that feeding on vegetation with abundant presence of bagworms may cause problems to cattle.
How to control? No general answer... depending the species, size, life-history...etc... Generally, it is possible to apply insecticides on areas densely infested by bagworms - the question is how expensive would be the treatment (if necessary to repeat it) and what about the quality of products (milk?). The Psychidae are not too mobile, however, there are mechanism of spread via eggs fed by the birds... And the "empty" areas may be re-occupied from the surrounding areas...
Good luck:-)
Marek
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