Good news about webworms

RITA GREENE MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Fall webworms in their webs appearing on Missouri trees.
RITA GREENE MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Fall webworms in their webs appearing on Missouri trees.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, the good news is -- those ugly webworm webs on the trees rarely kill them. It's close to fall, so look around and you'll see webworm nests appearing at the ends of branches on a lot of trees.

So what are these webworms and webworm webs? Those webs are the product of a species of caterpillar native to the region. The caterpillars hatch from eggs laid by adult fall webworm moths, which are snow white and about an inch long. After hatching, caterpillars feed for four to six weeks, then leave the host tree to spin a cocoon -- the web in which they will spend the winter -- unless the web is destroyed.

No one likes to see these webworm nests on beautiful trees so different ways to get rid of them have been provided.

Many people have found that the safest way to get rid of webworms is to prune the tree in the spring and spray it with a lime-sulfur and dormant oil spray. When the buds begin to peak, spraying can be repeated in 10 days. Any leaf debris should be removed around the trees.

Many people find ways to pull down the webs with branches, poles, and rakes. This allows birds to get at caterpillers. Another strategy is to attract feathered friends to your yard by placing birdbaths, bird feeders and birdhouses in areas with trees that frequently host webworm webs.

Fall webworms have lots of other natural predators that typically keep them in check besides birds -- parasitic flies, stink bugs and several wasps like to eat them.

So, no worries. While the webbing and debris created by fall webworms looks ugly and alarming, their feeding activity rarely causes serious injury to trees. Webworms feed on tree leaves, but do not kill the branches upon which the nests form. These branches will grow new leaves next year, so there is no need to cut branches out of a tree to remove the nests.

The webs will naturally weather away during the winter months.

Community on 09/30/2015