A serious pest is affecting a specific type of shrub in Canada. The popular boxwood shrub is on many properties in our area and if you notice yours decaying, it may be infested with the box tree moth.

Taylor Moore said when she noticed the boxwoods in her front yard were looking rough, she thought she wasn’t watering them enough.

But it was her three-year-old who found the culprit.

“My son, who is obsessed with looking at bugs right now, noticed there were caterpillars crawling on them,” said Moore.

These unassuming creatures are actually an invasive species native to Asia. They have been around in Canada since 2018. While they are not harmful to humans they can cause significant damage to the shrubs.