Komomaki
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Komomaki (菰巻き, komomaki) are straw belts, also known as waramaki, wrapped around trees during winter in Japan to protect them against pests. They are wrapped around pine trees, a custom that dates back to the Edo period.[1]
During the Edo period a gardener developed komomaki as a method of attracting a pest known as the "pine moth" in English. Called matsugahera in Japanese, and Dendrolimus spectabilis scientifically, the moths eat pine needles which can weaken the tree. The komomaki are placed as a warm place for the caterpillars to spend the winter, and they are burned just before spring, before the caterpillars emerge from hibernation. The ashes are used as fertiliser.[1]