It seems that several readers have found that their landscape is being
invaded by crawly things, from the quite tiny (but voracious) to the
larger, reptilian variety! This first one sounds a bit like a sci-fi
horror movie...

QUESTION: "Please help!!! I have no idea what I just found on my bush
outside.. The day before yesterday the bush was fine, but I saw these
"things," almost 1 1/2 to 2 in. long, hanging from it that looked sort
of like a pine cone. I just thought it was something new growing on
the tree/bush. This afternoon, I went out to water the plants, and the
whole side of the bush is almost gone, turned brown. I looked at the
things that I thought were growing on it and saw that they moved!! I
ran inside and got garden spray and there seemed to be worms trying to
come out of them.

This has really freaked me out. I want the bushes gone. I have always
loved them because they grow like a tree, they look a little like a
pine but with flowing needles that are really soft. They are a light
green in color..I do not know what kind of bush it is. Please tell me
what those things are, and what will get rid of them until I can get
someone to cut them down for me. I don't even want them in my yard
now. That one looks ruined anyway." -

Darleen

ANSWER: It sounds like what you have are bagworms. They are common to
the plant you are describing, the Arborvitae. What is needed is to
remove the bagworms, put them in a little bag, and then burn them.
After you have done this, you will need to spray your plants with
Malathion. (Be sure to follow directions on the label). You should do
this about once a month during the growing season.

Just as I was preparing this column, I received the following message
from Darleen:

"Thank you so much!! It was bagworms. I went to a local plant store
and he confirmed it, and showed me what to get. Thank you again for
emailing me back."

The next one isn't so much a question as a request. But it does
"Biggie-Size" the problem from worms to snakes!

QUESTION: "I would love to see you do an article on snakes in the
garden. Where I live there areis a lot of mines close by that they are
working on reclaiming. With the increased activity in the pits comes
an increase in the snake population in our residential area.

I am not just speaking of your typical garden variety but also
copperheads. We are all afraid to trim hedges (where one copperhead
showed itself) as well as work in flowerbeds, etc. I tore out all of
the plants that would provide the snakes a place to hide in my yard
and am replacing then with more wispy, less foliage dense plants.

"I tried to put the old mothballs out as I have read online that this
works, but lo and behold, there was a snake lying on top of the
mothballs! I would love to see this addressed since, with so many
areas being developed that had been great natural habitats for the
reptile community, this is a concern for many people everywhere. I
have lived in a few states and everyone has faced this issue when
natural wildlife habitats are developed for housing or industrial
reasons.

"Please address this issue as one of importance. The wildlife will
settle down again once they find a new home but in the meantime
gardens are left to grow over and yards are being unused for fear of
snakes which just provides a better chance for them to remain within
the residential areas instead of moving on to more suited and remote
areas. I am not a fan of snakes but do have members of the lizard
families as pets so I am well aware that reptiles have to live too. We
just have to learn ways to not cater to their needs within our
residential areas since people immediately want to kill them instead
of getting them to move on." - Jean Weingartner

ANSWER: Thank you for the suggestion, Jean. Like you, I appreciate the
needs of wildlife without necessarily wanting to share my landscape
with ALL of them! I'll get to work on a column on this subject.

Meanwhile, here's a request from me to all you readers: Do you have
any proven methods for making snakes feel unwelcome without resorting
to killing them? Send me your ideas via e-mail to
and I may include your recommendations here in
this column.

The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs
and landscaping to and for resources and
additional information, including archived columns, visit
www.landsteward.org