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Monday, Jun. 24, 2024

Can caterpillars make webs in North Texas trees?

Georgie London, Fort Worth Report
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.

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