Bagworms
Moving to Texas 10 years ago was hard. Everything was different. There were no mountains, a lot of humidity, enormous bugs, and even the trees and grass were unfamiliar. I felt like a fish out of water.
We had several evergreens in our yard, and I passed by them each time I mowed the grass. As I went by, I noticed little brown things hanging down. They looked like pine cones to me, so I didn’t worry.
In July, we went on vacation for two weeks. I had noticed a few brown spots in the evergreens before we left, but I figured it was because of the extreme heat. Yeah, that made sense.
Two weeks later we came home, and my trees were tragically altered.
I had left a wall of beautiful, bushy evergreens…and now I had a row of brown, brittle sticks. There was no green on my evergreens.
They were DEAD.
I called a nursery, desperate for answers, and they said it sounded like a bagworm infestation.
Yep. That’s exactly what it was. Bagworms.
They told me what to do, and it wasn’t fun. Because the bagworms had grown so big, spraying was pointless. We had to pick every individual bagworm off every branch of every tree in my yard. I bribed my kids to work by paying 10 cents per worm, but that added up way too quickly. So I started paying per bag.
In the 100 degree heat, my kids and I got to work. We picked everyday for weeks. We filled Target bags in a matter of minutes…bags that moved with hundreds of worms.
I cannot even write about it without dry heaving a few times. It was disgusting.
During those weeks of mindless worm-picking, I had a lot of time to think. If I had known what the bagworms were, I could have sprayed when they were little and avoided an infestation and loss of so many trees. So why didn’t I know? I could have asked a neighbor or a friend. I could have googled it. Here’s the truth: I didn’t really want to know. I liked living in ignorant bliss where I could easily deny my responsibility.
I started examining myself a little closer. Am I ignoring the little fires now, either consciously or not, hoping to avoid the forest fire that will inevitably result?
Truthfully, yes. Yes, I am. In the moment, it seems easier to ignore than to address any problem head on. It’s not a big deal, I tell myself. It’s nothing. You’re overreacting. And that’s true…for a minute.
But “bagworms” grow and multiply, and all of a sudden your life explodes with an infestation you happily ignored until you couldn’t. And now it’s definitely not easier.
There is a better way.
Don’t ignore pests or problems or issues when they are small. Feeling awkward/ insecure/ scared/ embarrassed or frustrated is a necessary part of your life. Don’t run from those feelings. Lean into them.
Remember the bagworms.
