A two-inch caterpillar that builds webs may pay your trees a visit this fall. This fall webworm is greenish-yellow with white hairs and two rows of black dots down its back. It most likely won't harm your fruit or ornamental trees but can make you do things to your trees you really should not.
These caterpillars construct massive silk webs - usually in persimmon, sourwood, pecan, fruit trees and willows. The webs are unsightly in the landscape and can drive tree owners crazy. The insect thrives on sun and moisture. If you have had both these conditions this year, you may have infestations of fall webworm over the next month or two.
What can you do?
One option is to leave the critter alone. It will not kill your tree. Another option is to break up the web for hungry birds. A liquid spray of Bacillus thuringiensis can be used as well. Regardless of what you do, I warn against trying to burn the worms out. A popular means of "control" is to torch the tent and try to extinguish the flame before the tree suffered major damage. You risk both tree damage and burning other property.
USFS/FIDL Photo
Comments
Next time you are in Arkansas, give me a call and I will show you hundreds of trees that are killed every year due to Bagworms. This happens in the Spring as well as the Fall. The worms leave their web daily to eat the leaves on the host tree, then return to the web. When using a special webworm insecticide that is readily available at most garden nurseries, it recommends spraying the web as well as the base of the tree and the surrounding ground. Really enjoy the gardening articles, read them every day. Thank you, Warren
You come up to the Midwest Ill,In, Mich,Wis, And we will show you your little catapillar that we call “tent
catapillars” And how many trees that they have killed…………..
Tentworms and bagworms are not the same as the Fall Webworm. Fall Webworms are usually not harmful to trees. I have some on my persimmon trees right now. They tend to cluster around the fruit, but do no damage it.
Thanks Dave! You are exactly right. Simply talking webworm in this case.
Steve Nix