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September 16, 2005
Evil Fall Webworm Infestations
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We at Citygardenguide escaped the city in August and abandoned this blog site for that time as well - many apologies. We returned to increasingly dire drought, and an infestation of fall webworms. These have affected a number of gardens in Lower Manhattan. A serious infestation of fall webworms closely resembles a biblical plague. Thousands of hairy caterpillars devour first tree foliage, then shrub foliage, and finally selected perennials. Large grayish-white webs encase branches. Infestations can become so severe that a visitor has to shake herself free of caterpillars when leaving the affected area.
All though the urge is strong, there is no point in calling 911 or even 311, because there is nothing much to be done once the infestation gets going. The only way to deal with this potential horticultural disaster is to be vigilant, and at the first sign of a web or a caterpillar call a tree service that can treat the tree and limit the damage. The good news is that generally the trees recover and leaf out normally the following season. The bad news is that the garden is ruined for this year.
Posted by gardenguidenyc at September 16, 2005 11:30 AM