It hasn't been a good year for pine trees. If they survived the winter, could they stand up to this summer of storms and insects?

Elizabeth Hunter has been fighting off bagworms at 77th and Bedford Avenue where they've been chewing their path of damage. "I'm picking the bags off as well as I find any that are still there." She says her tree problems have only gotten worse since storms tore through metro neighborhoods on June 27th.

When the storm came it left holes in the siding on Elizabeth's house, but right next to it is a huge pine tree. Elizabeth's been watching it every day to make sure there's no damage. So far, it's healthy. As for her tree with the bagworms, is it worth spending money on a treatment spray?

"The bagworms at this point in their life cycle, they've closed up those bags and are no longer actively feeding,” says horticulturist Kathleen Cue with the Douglas/Sarpy County Extension Office. She says a week ago, insecticides would’ve worked.

Now that the bags are closed, the insects won't ingest the chemicals. The best plan of action? "If it's bagworms on a plant that you can readily reach and physically pick them off, that's the perfect solution,” says Cue, who advises Elizabeth to keep watching her pine trees.

Since the June 27th storm, hundreds of homeowners are bringing the extension office samples of their dead pine trees. "We're wondering if perhaps pine wilt is rearing its ugly head again and it's making what we're seeing that much more confusing because we're seeing multiple problems on these pines," says Cue.

Elizabeth says she will keep watching her yard daily. “The reason I moved into this neighborhood and I bought my house is because I have four very large pine trees and if I lose those I'm not going to be very happy."

When we see a tree in distress, our temptation is to do something immediately, but experts say the best time to spray for bagworms is in the spring.