Throughout the later part of the summer, did you happen to notice large, silky webs in your trees or some of your neighbor's trees?
When traveling anywhere in the area, you may have noticed these unsightly, light gray, silken webs, almost like a giant spider-web, but spiders are not the cause. The nests are made by caterpillars.
"This time of year, you're seeing evidence of the fall webworm, and the fall webworm is a native caterpillar; a native moth to our region," said Dave Goerig, Educator, OSU Extension Office. "It likes to be in our trees."
And while it does like to be in your trees, you may not like the unsightly critters eating your leaves. Often mistaken for the destructive gypsy moth, the fall webworm does not really pose a threat to your trees or shrubs if they are well established.
"If you have an old, established tree in your yard and it has several of these fall webworm nests in the tree, it's not going to hurt anything," said Goerig.
If the tree or shrub affected is smaller, a large number of nests may cause a problem. The best way to clear the nests is to cut out the affected area, but if you don't want a chunk of your tree or shrub missing, you may use insecticides.
when trying to choose an insecticide, garden experts at home depot say all you need to do is peel the back label and find a complete list of what the product will help remediate.
Those worried about the harsh chemicals in insecticides will be happy to know that there are now eco-friendly options you may choose from that are safe to use around your loved ones.
