Question
A beautiful pine sits next to the porch on the north side of the house.  It is approx. 12 ft. tall. Recently, I found what I researched to identify as bag worms.  They are in the sacs that they have used the pine needles to form.

I have picked off hundreds, and I can't get to the top where they are the worst and have completely stripped out the top of the tree.

It is fall here in north central Indiana.  If I cut out the top of the pine, will it die?  Is there any way to save this tree?

I found some spray, but it seems to be more of the type to use before the bags develop and to be used in the spring.

I would appreciate any helpful suggestions.

Thanks.

Answer
Do not cut the top off the pine it should leaf back out this spring. The insect is in the bag and it is hard to get the insecticide into the caterpillar that is why the insecticide is for the spring before the bag is formed.

To control the bagworms the easiest method is to hand pick or clip off the bags from the plants during the winter or early spring before the eggs hatch. I pick the bagworms off whenever I see them on a plant, no matter what the time of year. The bags should be destroyed by crushing or putting them in soapy water. When infestation is too heavy for hand picking a biological control such as BT spray can be used. BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) is a type of bacteria that only kills certain insects and does not affect humans or animals. It works well only on young bagworms and must be applied between June 15th and July 15th to be effective.