Silk like web on weeping cherry

[curdy]

I see this a lot from the road, and always wondered what they were...now I'm forced to ask because I have one on one of my trees.

What is it?
What can I do about it?

Thanks!

 

[JeffL]

I'm not very knowledgeable about pests, but I'm gonna suggest you get someone to spray that before those suckers start defoliating?

 

[extraspecialman]

tent caterpillars,some call gypsy moths around here.A pretty big problem around here,and they will absolutely defoliate the whole tree.I only see em in wild cherry here in WV

 

[extraspecialman]

by the way,a propane torch torch will fry the little ba$tards without damagin the tree

 

[RUBE]

curdy,
It looks like a fall web worm. Get some Sevin spray from most any garden center or hardware store and spray the buggers. Whatever you do DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT take a torch to your tree if you like it. It WILL damage/kill your tree.
Carefull with the Sevin around any plants that you may be growing for food. You wont want to eat this chemical.

 

[Dadatwins]

Agree with using the sevin product, web worm, bag worms will do nasty stuff to that little tree. After you spray it wait a day and pull the mess off with a gloved hand and put the remainder in a plastic bag for the trash. I would move the tomato plant behind it first.

 

[curdy]

Thanks everyone! Bottle of Sevin is on the list for a HD run after church tomorrow!

Oh, and moving the tomato plants is on the 'to do' list before spraying!

 

[treeseer]

The pest can be physically removed by (gloved) hand with good effectiveness and less expense to your wallet your health and nearby organisms.

 

[stihl sawing]

We get them in our pecan and walnut trees, They will eat all the leaves if left alone. Yours will be easy to remove. I would just get them out by hand and burn them. A large tree is really hard to get them out as they are too high to reach.

 

[ATH]

Not to sound too smarty pants here....but some folks should read their labels before making recomendations.

Sevin label says that you can treat crops 3 days before harvest. This is a very commonly used product on tomatoes and other veggies.

 

[Rtom45]

Definitely fall web worm. If you won't lose much by removing the branch(es), I'd suggest that option first.
I'd also suggest that you move the tree now while its still small. It won't be too long before its grown into the building and becomes a real pain. Weeping cherry will eventually grow at least 15 ft. in diameter, so give it some room.

 

[NYCHA FORESTER]

curdy,
It looks like a fall web worm. Get some Sevin spray from most any garden center or hardware store and spray the buggers. Whatever you do DO NOT, and I repeat DO NOT take a torch to your tree if you like it. It WILL damage/kill your tree.
Carefull with the Sevin around any plants that you may be growing for food. You wont want to eat this chemical.

+1