Those webs in trees are ugly but not really a problem

  • A webworm growth on a tree along Route 3 in Boscawen. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff

  • A webworm spun along Manor Road in Concord. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

  • A webworm spun along Manor Road in Concord. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

  • Webworm nests encompass a dying tree on Baptist Hill Road in Canterbury on Tuesday, August 25, 2020. GEOFF FORESTER—Monitor staff

  • Webworm nests encompass a dying tree on Baptist Hill Road in Canterbury on Tuesday. GEOFF FORESTER / Monitor staff

Monitor staff
Published: 8/30/2020 4:41:52 PM

So many bad things are happening in the environment that the sight of what looks like huge balls of cotton candy all over some trees feels like the latest new disaster.

But don’t fret: They’re routine and not as bad as they look.

These aren’t gypsy moths or tent caterpillars, both of which can kill trees. These are fall webworms, whose nest are ugly but almost never a real problem. There’s certainly no need to spend money on pesticides, which probably wouldn’t penetrate the webs even if you tried.

“Don’t panic” is the succinct advice from UNH Cooperative Extension in its online page about fall webworms. It explains that these are moth caterpillars, part of a complicated lifecycle.

The moths hatch in mid- to late-July and the larvae crawl up the tree and eat leaves for a while inside a silky home they weave to protect themselves, then make a cocoon and spend the winter as pupae in the soil. In early summer the moths emerge, find a mate and lay eggs, which hatch soon afterward and start the cycle over again.

The best bet if you hate the sight of the webs is to pull them down with a rake or a pole. Even better, says Co-op Extension: “Treat yourself to a hot cup of coffee and let birds, insect predators and internal parasites keep fall webworms in check,” although poking a couple of holes in a web can help those predators get in.

No action is really needed because, despite an alarming appearance, the webs do little harm. Webworms appear late in summer, after trees have already stored much of the energy they need for winter and they are native to the area so that our forests have learned to live with them.

The only danger can come if they blanket most of a tree, which occasionally happens with cherry trees (webworms’ favorite).

It’s hard to know whether webworms are worse or better than usual in the Concord area this year. Nobody keeps track of them because they don’t do much damage, so reports are anecdotal.

So you can stop worrying about webworms and go back to worrying about disease-bearing ticks, garden-attacking grasshoppers (which are more active at the moment, thanks to our drought) and invasive beetles killing all the ash trees.

(David Brooks can be reached at 369-3313 or dbrooks@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @GraniteGeek.)

David Brooks bio photo

David Brooks is a reporter and the writer of the sci/tech column Granite Geek and blog granitegeek.org, as well as moderator of Science Cafe Concord events. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in mathematics he became a newspaperman, working in Virginia and Tennessee before spending 28 years at the Nashua Telegraph . He joined the Monitor in 2015.

Stay informed with our free email updates
Concord Monitor Daily Headlines
Concord Monitor Breaking News
Concord Monitor Dining & Entertainment
Concord Monitor Report For America Education
Concord Monitor Report For America Health
Concord Monitor Real Estate
Concord Monitor Sports
Concord Monitor Suncook Valley
Concord Monitor Contests & Promotions
Concord Monitor Weekly Most Popular
Concord Monitor Granite Geek
Concord Monitor Monitor Marquee
Concord Monitor Hopkinton
Concord Monitor Politics
Concord Monitor MY CONCORD
Concord Monitor Franklin
 


Concord Monitor Office

1 Monitor Drive
Concord,NH 03301
603-224-5301

 

© 2021 Concord Monitor
Terms & Conditions - Privacy Policy

Customer Service


Social Media

News

View All Sections

Part of the Newspapers of New England Family