Xtremehorticulture

Worms in Palo Verde

Q. This is  a picture of the worms we find on our PaloVerde tree in the back yard.  We would like to get rid of them but do not know how.  Is there something besides spraying the whole tree which is huge, a systemic maybe,  that would do the trick and not kill the tree. They make a mess of the sidewalk and other stuff under the tree.  Any help would be appreciated. A. These critters have been reported elsewhere in the desert Southwest. Must be because of our wet spring weather. They should disappear in a matter of a week or two or less. It is a larva or caterpillar of a moth. I am not sure which one. Some caterpillars fold or roll leaves together with silk to form shelters. Others feed on leaves beneath a canopy of silk, sometimes creating “nests” in foliage, and others devour entire leaves along with stems. Your tree can get a lot of damage from these critters and still be fine. If there is enough of them you should see a lot of their poop on the ground because they eat a lot, voraciously, before they pupate and begin the change into a moth. You can spray with an organic pesticide such as BT or Spinosad but as far along as they are I think it’s a waste of money. Even if they defoliate the tree it will relief again and come back out. Relax and have a glass of lemonade but don’t put your lemonade under the tree.

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Caterpillar Webbing on Texas Mountain Laurel Now

Now is the time you may be seeing some webbing in your Texas mountain laurel tree or shrub. This happens nearly every year but is relatively easy to control. There is a moth, called the Genista moth, that lays its eggs on the stems of Mountain Laurel. When these eggs hatch into small caterpillars or larva of the moth, they feed on the leaves of this plant. Prior to doing that, they form some webbing around their kitchen area.  Texas mountain laurel They normally do not cause a lot of damage but in some cases their numbers can be so high that the visual damage can be alarming. This is a little strange because the leaves of Texas mountain laurel are considered to be somewhat toxic. Most animals do not want to eat those leaves. But this caterpillar has evolved with this plant and can tolerate these toxins. These toxins reside in the caterpillar and sold the caterpillar in itself is not a favored food of predators. Plus the silken webbing deters other potential enemies. If you have these plants in your landscape, you might check them for damage. If the damage is minor, just leave them alone. If it is severe, organic sprays of Dipel or Thuricide will normally control. You may have to destroy the webbing so that the spray can land on the leaves they are eating. This organic spray relies on the caterpillars eating sprayed foliage. The webbing may interfere with the spray landing on the leaves.  You can also use Spinosad and it will do about the same thing. Several sprays of insecticidal soap will also probably work.

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