Although it may look like your yard should belong to a haunted house, those grey, silky clumps hanging from the trees aren’t spider webs’they’re fall webworms.
Ed Brakefield, a trustee for Addison Township and volunteer for Michigan State University’s Gypsy Moth Program, said he wants to get the word out that these friendly fall webs won’t harm your trees like the despised gypsy moth.
‘I see people concerned when they see these things and think they’re gypsy moths when they’re not,? Brakefield said.
The gypsy moth was brought to the United States in 1869 in an attempt to start a silkworm industry, according to gypsy-moth.com. The moths escaped soon after, becoming a major pest in the northeast states and southeast Canada.
Fall webworms, Hyphantria cunea (Drury), on the other hand, usually only eat leaves late in the season and therefore don’t cause much damage to the trees.
They also create a silky tent on the end of branches and do not migrate to other areas of the tree, like gypsy moths or tent caterpillars.
The worms are nocturnal and only feed on the leaves at night.
According to Charlene Molnar, a horticulture advisor for Michigan State University Extension Oakland County and Addison Twp. resident, fall webworms are a ‘late season defoliator.?
‘At this time of year there is no energy being used to push out leaves,? she said. ‘Most of the energy is being photosynthesized and is going back into the roots for storage for the next year.?
Molnar said the reason the fall webworms seem so prevalent lately is because they’re a Michigan-established insect that has ‘co-generated with predators and parasites.?
‘You will find that the populations will build, build, build and be high for a couple of years and then the natural cycle of things cause it to crash,? she said.
Fall webworms can be found on hickory, elm, wild cherry, walnut and crab apple trees, but oak trees are rarely seen with the tents.
Moths eventually will emerge from the tent over an extended period, and two full generations can normally be completed in Michigan.
If the sight of these not-so-pretty tree fixtures bothers you, Molnar suggests pruning the tent from the branch, cutting open the tent and placing it in a bucket of soapy water.
For those who want to use chemicals, Molnar suggests a non-toxic product.
For more information on fall webworms or other pests, call the MSU Plant and Pest hotline at (248) 858-0902.