Municipal arborists and entomologists can use BugBarrier Tree Band for insect population counts. The outer band of film is semi-transparent, so you can view insects on the inner surface, and count them. The Bug Barrier Tree Band's ease of use, quick application time and overall convenience make it an attractive and cost-efficient professional tool for counting or controlling lepidoptera and other climbing and crawling species.

Installation Sites & Testimonials

The City of Toronto was one of the BugBarrier Tree Band test sites in the fall of 2001. The fall cankerworm was the target of the test, and here's what the city's Forest Health Care Inspector Jozef Ric had to say about the product:

The BugBarrier Tree Band, tested in a field trial in High Park (City of Toronto), has proved to be an efficient tool to prevent the wingless female fall cankerworm from laying eggs in the tree crowns in late fall. It is an improvement over a traditional banding method where sticky material has to be applied to the surface of a band. The improvements include:

• Practical installation. Easy to apply and clean.
• Highly sensitive to non-targeted organisms.
• Remains clean from debris. A sticky band with debris attached to it may be overbridged by crawling insects.
• Improved look. It is less apparent on trees.

Jozef Ric
Forest Health Care Inspector
Urban Forestry Services
City of Toronto

Tel: 416.392.1436
Fax: 416.392.1915

The City of Charlotte, North Carolina was the other fall 2001 cankerworm test site. Don McSween, Charlotte's municipal arborist, installed BugBarrier Tree Band on willow oaks (Quercus phellos) that lined the Queens Road West median. He also tested the band on white oaks (Quercus alba), red oaks (Quercus falcata) and red maples (Acer rubrum) in the northeast part of the city.

The BugBarrier Tree Band replaced that city's traditional banding method, which uses tar paper coated with a sticky substance. Mr. McSween tested the BugBarrier Tree Band by placing the tar paper bands above the new product, and found that the BugBarrier Tree Band effectively trapped the fall cankerworm adults. In fact, one band trapped more than 9,000 cankerworms.

Donald McSween
Municipal Arborist
City of Charlotte
Landscape Management Division
Tel: 704.336.4262
Fax: 704.336.4444
EMail: dmcsween@ci.charlotte.nc.us