green worm eating furniture - Ask Extension
I found two small green worm/caterpillars creating saw dust inside two pieces of furniture as well as many larger similar caterpillars on the outside ...
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green worm eating furniture #327888
Asked June 02, 2016, 11:34 AM EDT
I found two small green worm/caterpillars creating saw dust inside two pieces of furniture as well as many larger similar caterpillars on the outside of my house which sits under a white pine.
I am troubled if they have infested my house and will continue being destructive. the smaller caterpillar came out of a hole in a rocking chair where I found the pile of saw dust. I believe the smaller one is now dead but was it the same creature as the bigger one when it was alive? What are they and how do I treat an infestation?
Hennepin County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thank you for the question. We are checking with other experts and will get back to you soon.
Some of our experts think the live larvae might be a black headed pine sawfly. This would be logical since you have a nearby white pine tree. We may learn more from our entomology expert later in the week. In the meantime, here is our publication discussing sawflies: http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/sawflies/
Thank you for the sawfly information. I found today that they are also eating much of my cinnamon ferns which surround my house. Does that change the diagnosis? Since I also found them boring into three pieces of indoor furniture do I need to be concerned about my wood siding as well?
I'm sorry to say we have no more definite information for you. Jeff Hahn, Extension Entomologist, points out that some larvae, like dogwood sawflies, will burrow into soft wood to pupate. This might be what has happened to your furniture if it's made of a softer wood. Depending on what type of wood your siding is made of, maybe they won't be a problem and will eventually all go away. If possible, you could try moving your furniture to a different room for a few weeks until the "season" for these larvae has passed.
Another option might be to call an exterminator to help you if you have a very large number of these creatures on and in your house.
Another option might be to call an exterminator to help you if you have a very large number of these creatures on and in your house.
Jeff Hahn, Extension entomologist added a bit more information:
"I did some checking and there is a sawfly that attacks ferns, several species in the genus Strongylogaster, http://bugguide.net/node/view/102795/bgimage. These sawflies do occur in Minnesota. Information is scant about these sawflies and I can not find any mention about them boring into wood. However, i am sure that is what they are. This is the first I have ever encountered these insects.
I don't think there are a lot of options here. They can move the furniture out of reach of the sawflies until they done with their pupating. They can kill any larvae they find on their plants, either by throwing them into a pail of soapy water or physically crushing them before they have a chance to look for a place to pupate. I agree that their siding should not be at risk.