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  • Webs such as this find their way into your tree because of Webworms. Chase Rheam

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September 1, 2010

What's bugging Stillwater's trees?

By Chase Rheam Stillwater NewsPress

STILLWATER, Okla. — If you’ve taken the time to look at trees in your neighborhood, there is a good chance you may have seen webbing on the end of some branches. These webs are the result of webworms.

Horticulturist Stan Fimple from the Payne County Extension Office said that these larva are usually only seen in the summer. Fimple also said that they are usually not big threats.

“Ninety-nine percent of the time, they are just unsightly,” said Fimple.

Most of these webs can be found high in the tree, leaving few options to reach them. However, Fimple said if the web is within reach, the best course of action is to remove them by hand or with a stick, making sure to detach the web. If you seek to get the higher webs, Fimple suggests a high-pressure sprayer and two chemicals, Sevin and malathion.

Fimple said some other methods are unsafe, such as burning the webs out of the trees.

“Do not do that,” said Fimple. “It can damage the tree. It can start a fire in the whole neighborhood.”

While the webworms are seen mostly in pecan and walnut trees in town, they can become attached to any tree.

While webworms can defoliate a whole tree year after year and weaken it, the tree will not suffer much damage from a few webs, Fimple said.

“If it’s one or two, it’s not a big deal,” said Fimple. “But if it’s attacking the whole tree or it’s a small tree, you may want to do something about it.”

 

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