Webworms have pitched their gossamer tents in area trees.
“It seemed like they showed up almost overnight,” said Carla Nemecek, Allen County Extension agent.
From what she saw on a drive east and south of Humboldt, the farther south in Allen County the worse the infestation.
The good news is webworms don’t harm established trees.
But, “if you have small trees with webworms, it’s a good idea to do something about them,” Nemecek said. If they strip a small tree of its leaves, it could make it more vulnerable to damage.
The easiest way to remove the pests is with a water hose and spray nozzle.
“Just wash them away,” Nemecek said. She warned against pruning, which will do more to disfigure a tree than discourage the worms. “Trees will bounce back next year.”
For those intent on removing the unsightly webworm havens, Nemecek suggested using a long pole to tear apart the protective gossamer shelters and disrupt their feeding cycles.
So what brought on the proliferation of webworms? Moths answering nature’s call. Adult females lay several hundred eggs on the undersides of leaves in clusters. The eggs hatch in about a week, accounting for what appears a sudden deluge.
The worms spend a month or so fortifying themselves with a steady diet of leaves, with the pupa stage — the inactive and immature form between larva and adult — wintering in bark and litter at the bottom of trees. When warm weather arrives, moths emerge and eventually start the life cycle all over again.
Webworms envelope area trees
