Unsightly webs are spotting hillside views throughout Holmes County as late summer/fall approaches. The culprit? Fall webworm.
The pest Hyphantria cunea is native to North America and is common from Canada to Mexico. Here in Ohio, it favors nest building in trees such as walnut, hickory, fruit trees, and some maples but has been known to feed on over 85 species of trees. Enclosing leaves and small branches in their nests, fall webworms eat leaves late into the season, but usually cause no significant damage.
Their webs are unsightly, but because significant damage is usually rare, controlling them is typically unnecessary. They can be removed mechanically by pruning small to medium sized nests out of trees. Burning or torching nests is not recommended as this can cause further damage.
Happy Gardening,
Ashley
thank you for this information. We currently have three of these nests in our hickory tree and were very concerned they may cause damage to the tree that would be systemic. Glad to know I don’t need to loose sleep over it.