@Lizzie27 - you could hurry things along with a nice application of weed killer.... We don't have these problems here, and even with climate change etc, I doubt we'll get them for many years -possibly decades, unless every summer is like this year. There's a house near me which has a lovely row of box balls and a pair of twisty ones in pots at the front door. All immaculate. In good conditions, a bit of box topiary is brilliant, but nothing looks worse than stuff riddled with blight or the caterpillar/moth damage.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Thank you so much for your posts and photos. So sorry to see and hear about the damage to your plants.
I can’t see any caterpillars on mine and thinking the leaves would be disappearing as they are eaten if it was caterpillars. The brown leaf areas are increasing by the day though, so annoying as I’ve had the box balls over 7 years now. Will get some Fungus Fighter tomorrow and give them a good spray. Not feeling very hopeful about them though and nothing I want to replace them with.
Thank you so much for your posts and photos. So sorry to see and hear about the damage to your plants.
I can’t see any caterpillars on mine and thinking the leaves would be disappearing as they are eaten if it was caterpillars. The brown leaf areas are increasing by the day though, so annoying as I’ve had the box balls over 7 years now. Will get some Fungus Fighter tomorrow and give them a good spray. Not feeling very hopeful about them though and nothing I want to replace them with.
Hi @joannaparker1, I really think this is box caterpillar like everyone else says. I've been hit badly too (thankfully it's only one box plant, but it's been with me for about 10 years across three different gardens, so it's got sentimental value), my plant looks identical to your photos. If you look closely at your photos, too, you can see the caterpillar poo all over. I also didn't think I could see any caterpillars on my plant initially, but there were a few stragglers hiding amongst leaves or at the base of a branch. Fungicide isn't going to help.
Sorry I can't be any more help with a solution though - I'm just going to chuck mine as I can't risk it spreading to neighbours if it hasn't already...!
Eeek, inspected one of my box hedges with glasses on and a magnifying glass, saw two caterpillars (the first I've seen) but also masses and masses of small green eggs on the twigs, presumably soon to be caterpillars!
Should I cut it all down asap to help stop the spread and how to dispose of it - in the Council bin? Why aren't the birds eating them all, are they toxic?
@AnniD, Thanks for that link, I've just submitted my report.
@Lizzie27 I read somewhere a few months ago ( having had my mini hedge destroyed in the space of 2 weeks in 2018 ) that some UK birds are now starting to eat the caterpillars if other food source scarce but that they apparently were pretty unpalatable to our UK birdlife- at least to start with. I used (old!) tweezers to get rid of as many caterpillars as i could find into lidded carton(s) and disposed of them and the plants bagged up via bin collections.
Thanks @Desi_in_London, not sure I want to go down the tweezer route but if it's not raining tomorrow might make a start on cutting down the most affected bushes.
Posts
We don't have these problems here, and even with climate change etc, I doubt we'll get them for many years -possibly decades, unless every summer is like this year.
There's a house near me which has a lovely row of box balls and a pair of twisty ones in pots at the front door. All immaculate. In good conditions, a bit of box topiary is brilliant, but nothing looks worse than stuff riddled with blight or the caterpillar/moth damage.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/surveys/SubmitRecord.asp?Type=9
Not feeling very hopeful about them though and nothing I want to replace them with.
Eeek, inspected one of my box hedges with glasses on and a magnifying glass, saw two caterpillars (the first I've seen) but also masses and masses of small green eggs on the twigs, presumably soon to be caterpillars!
Should I cut it all down asap to help stop the spread and how to dispose of it - in the Council bin? Why aren't the birds eating them all, are they toxic?
@AnniD, Thanks for that link, I've just submitted my report.