Feature Story
Cassie Homan
District Agent
K-State Research and Extension
Post Rock District
1 District Agent, K-State Research and Extension, Beloit, KS, 67420
This article was published in seven newspapers in the North Central Kansas area around May 10, 2019. The article that is scanned was published in the Beloit Call Newspaper. This paper services a community of 6,373 people. The purpose of the article was to help people protect their landscapes and windrows from bagworm insects. In our rural area we have many Eastern Red Cedar trees which are the favorite host for bagworms.
This article discussed the lifecycle of the insect, the damage they cause, and how to control the pest. It was very timely because it was printed around the time that trees should be treated. This is an important reminder for readers because often people don't think to treat until they start to see the bagworms. At this point the pests have already stopped feeding and are enclosed in their sacks, so spraying would be useless.
After printing the article, I received many follow-up questions from community members. I was asked about companies in the area that would spray for homeowners. I was also asked when the last possible date to spray could be. Many people didn't get around to spraying at the ideal time and wanted to ensure their treatment would still be effective.
The article can be found on our Post Rock Extension Website here: