Tent Worms

tent worms nest with small black eggs and tent worms on a Aspen tree

Tent worms nest with small black eggs and tent worms on an Aspen tree

So about this time of year tent worms appear in my apple trees, apricot trees and aspen trees. They are also known as web worms because of the web they live in. But unlike fall web worms which appear in the fall, tent worms appear in the spring. If left to their own devices, they will eat many leaves off your trees. I even saw them in my Currant plant. They leave the web in the day eating the leaves and go back to the web at night. They look like long skinny caterpillars.

I asked a landscaper friend of mine what’s the best way to get rid of them and they said to just cut off the branch they are on and put them in a plastic bag and dispose of them.  This year I’m on top of the problem so they can’t keep multiplying and it seems to be working. Keep an eye out for them. They can be anywhere on the tree branches-down low or up high.

4 comments on “Tent Worms

  1. Jill Foster says:

    Or if you take a stick and break open the webs it gives the birds a feast. They build the webs because they are edible and need the protection. I tried this once and it seemed to work.

    Like

  2. Tim Doebler says:

    And I wonder if you toss the branch in with your chickens if they might not enjoy the high protein treat?

    Like

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