Webworm Nest at Tx Black Walnut Tree

At a city park in June, I noticed a conical item high on a Texas Black Walnut tree. I took some pix and a zoom-in/out video. Although details weren't great, the item looked "aerated". Returned with someone else who brought a monopod and higher-resolution camera. Over about a week, posted some images and zoom-out video to LinkedIn for gathering opinions on what the item could be. Speculations: Web belonging to webworms, tent worms, gypsy moths, silkworms. Responses included advice to destroy the web/nest.

Webworms, Tent Worms, Gypsy Moths, Silk Worms, Oh, My!

Someone mentioned tent worms and their affinity for pecan trees. However, someone else mentioned webworms and provided "Fall Webworm", which nudged me towards webworms.

Caterpillars (larvae) of the fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea) feed on over 100 different species of deciduous trees. Walnut, hickory, pecan, persimmon, sweetgum, ash, maple, oak, poplar, redbud, and willow are commonly damaged.

Poking Around the Web

"Bagworm, Fall Webworm or Eastern Tent Caterpillar?" provides clarification because of food preferences between web worms and tent worms.

Tent caterpillars like to feed on crabapple, hawthorn, mountain ash, flowering cherry, and other trees and shrubs in the rose family. … Fall webworm feeds on over 120 different species of deciduous trees including crabapple, ash, oak, elm, maple, hickory, sweet gum, and black walnut.

"Webworms feeding in a tree near you this fall" from Aug 2016 differentiates the two worm types as does the Illinois site: "Not to be confused with the Eastern tent caterpillar, which shows up in the early spring, the fall webworm is prevalent in late summer through the fall."

Coincidentally, a friend blogger (Steve Schwartzman) posted an item very recently about webworms "A world all its own" and cited the same scientific name—Hyphantria cunea, linked to its entry in Wikipedia. As Steve's photo is of a raindrop-covered webworm web and bears no resemblance to my "airy" cone, Wikipedia's pic of a webworm nest looks similar to my images.

Regarding the possibility of gypsy moths, I did a Google image search for gypsy moth webs. They don't resemble the structure I'd pic'd, but more like the image at "Why are there so many creepy webs on the tree branches over your head?"

As for maybe silk worms, floated by another commenter, "What to do When Your Trees Are Full of Silk Worms" states, "true silkworms feed solely on the leaves of white mulberry trees. If you have a few in your yard that are covered in webs, silkworms are the culprits."

Bugged out? Ready to battle? A possible difficulty in destroying the nest I spotted, besides it being on city property, might be the height. I estimated the height to be about 40'. View my short video, which might provide idea of distance relative to height.



Some Timely Resources (within the Last Couple of Months)

"What to do in your garden this week - Care for chrysanthemum, fertilize and monitor for webworms." published this month.

Monitor mulberry, oak, pecan, poplar and willow trees for webworms. Heavy infestations over several years can weaken trees as the caterpillars feast on the foliage. If the egg masses on the leaves are accessible, simply remove and destroy them. Tear open the webs so natural predators can access the larvae. If the webs are growing, rip them open and spray the foliage, top and bottom, with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis).

Another very current source came in mid-June: "Webworms are hanging out in Central Texas trees this year in greater numbers than usual"

Webworms — or Fall webworms or Hyphantria cunea — are young moths who live out their time as caterpillars in silken enclosures they spin in plants. … Webworms start off as eggs, and when they hatch, they begin spinning their silken webs.

If you want to get rid of webworms, [entomologist Wizzie] Brown said that a good option is simply opening up the web to allow for lizards, wasps, or birds to get in and eat them. You can also prune the infested parts of the tree away or use a high-pressure water spray to get holes in the web.

The article includes embedded link to YouTube video "Webworms are hanging out in Central Texas trees this year in greater numbers than usual".

Additional Resources in IDing and Battling Webworms and their Web Nests

"Everything that You Need to Know About Webworms" from July 2018 contains info, with excellent video that differentiates webworms,bag worms, tent caterpillars, and bag worms, and controlling these pests, including those in high trees.

These webworms make a webbed nest in the hardwoods of the deciduous tree limbs (mostly alder, willow, cottonwood, elm, walnut, apple and peach trees). Webworms can be further classified into Web worms, and Eastern Tent Caterpillars.

"How to Deal with Webworms in Your Trees" from Oct 2018 advises "If possible, open up hole(s) in the nest with a stick, pole saw, or high-pressure nozzle. Then use appropriate insecticide."

"Creepy-looking web sacks are popping up all over Georgia" from August 2017 states, "trees are covered with what look like huge spider webs". The site includes a video with close-in views of web and caterpillars, and UGA agricultural agent breaking open a web bag.

"CATERPILLAR NEST REMOVAL IN PECAN TREE 9-14-12" shows one person's method for getting rid of a webworm nest that was about 40' above the ground, but with different logistical considerations than the one in my images.

"How to Control Webworms High in a Tree" from Aug 2018 is a short and sweet video, with text and narration. Although it has very little imagery. The emphasis on text and narration is good for reinforcing other sites' how-to info.

Circling Back to Texas Black Walnut

The tree with the nest greatly resembles the tree that was at street level that I blogged about last year. Visit "Texas Black Walnut--Lookalike to Deadly Manchineel". The article includes embedded link to its associated YouTube video.

Webworm Nest and Cooper's Hawk Together

The webworm nest makes a cameo in my video.