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FACT BRIEF

Can caterpillars make webs in North Texas trees?

By Georgie London
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YES

The webworm is a common web-building caterpillar in North Texas trees. 

They infest trees by building webs and feeding on the leaves. The webworm can thrive on more than 88 tree species including pecan, oak, hickory and elm. 

While webworms usually appear in the fall, hence their common title as fall webworms, they can be seen as early as April. 

Fall webworms rarely cause serious damage to the trees that they infest, but they can destroy all of the tree’s leaves. 

Webworm infestation treatments vary based on the size of the area that they infest. Small to medium infestations can be treated by knocking down the nest with pressurized water. 

Bigger infestations need soap or bacillus thuringiensis added to the water to kill the webworm. In the case of an extreme infestation, insecticide should be sprayed on the infected area.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Tree Service Fort Worth Webworm treatment in Fort Worth, TX
Arborist USA How to get rid of webworms
Purdue University Forestry & Natural Resources Fall webworms: Should you manage them
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The Fort Worth Report is a 501(c)(3) organization that launched April 12, 2021. This new media outlet is built on a foundation of local leadership and local investment. It provides community-sourced journalism that exclusively supports and reports on the Fort Worth community with fact-based, thoughtful and contextual coverage without bias or predetermined agendas. The enterprise is governed by a mission statement, bylaws, and an organizational structure that ensures it remains faithful to these foundational principles.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.