Caterpillars on a Wild Cherry Tree

Caterpillars on a Wild Cherry Tree

Wild cherry trees (Prunus serotina) — also called black cherry — grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. This 50- to 80-foot-tall tree produces bitter fruit that is usually utilized to taste liquors or for jelly and jam making. As with additional cherry species, the wild cherry tree is vulnerable to various pests such as tent caterpillars.

Tent Caterpillars

According to the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, wild cherry trees are the preferred hosts of tent caterpillars. But they do attack several different trees such as hawthorns, peach, plum and flowering crabapples. Several species of tent caterpillars exist, like the forest tent caterpillar, Western tent caterpillar Eastern tent caterpillar and Pacific tent caterpillar. Forest tent caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria) includes a dark blue larva with red brown waxy white and lines keyhole markings along its rear. The Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californicum) is a red brown larva with hairy orange and white tufts. The Eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) is dark and hairy with a white stripe down its back and orange, yellow or brown lines on each side along with blue spots. The Pacific tent caterpillar (Malacosoma constrictum) typically feeds on oaks and looks like the Western species. Unlike another tent caterpillars, forest tent caterpillars don’t produce webbing.

Damage

Tent caterpillars munch on the leaf of wild cherry trees but won’t absorb the leaf veins. They produce silk-like webs or tents on the leaf, encasing several leaves and branches. The tent caterpillars increase the magnitude of the webs as they grow. In large infestations, tent caterpillars may defoliate whole wild cherry trees. This will result in loss of vigor. If the defoliation occurs early enough in the summer, wild cherry trees can replace their damaged foliage.

Control

Controlling tent caterpillars requires pruning infected comes covered with their silken webbing from the tree. But only cut off stems if they aren’t major limbs or won’t deform the tree. When pruning infected branches, do so at dusk to ensure that the majority of caterpillars have returned to their own tents and immediately dispose of the infested plant issue. If the webbing affects major limbs, then physically eliminate them by ripping them off the tree using gloved hands.

Chemical Control

Bacillus thuringiensis and spinosad are two pesticides made from decay found naturally in soil. Bacillus thuringiensis stops the larvae of various pests — like moths and caterpillars — by feeding and they perish of starvation. Bacillus thuringiensis controls tent caterpillars without posing a risk to humans, mammals or beneficial insects. Spinosad eliminates the unwanted pests via contact or ingestion. It is not as safe as Bacillus thuringiensis but is still considered safer than other chemical pesticides. Malathion, diazinon and carbaryl are a few different pesticides that may control caterpillars. Regrettably, these products contain toxic substances that can harm beneficial insects. No matter what pesticide you use, create a hole with a stick or break up the nest and spray on the chemical inside.

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