What do you do about fall webworms?
To the editor:
The article of Sept. 5, “They’re not tent caterpillars; they’re fall webworms,” is timely. I was surprised to see so many ugly nests in the trees around our house, and although I could remove many on the lower branches of various trees, many were too high to reach. Any suggestions?
When the nests were brought down (usually by cutting off the branches), the worms were easily killed with soapy water (as the Department of Environmental Conservation recommends for gypsy moths caterpillars). Before pouring the soapy water on the nests, you should open each nest because they are relatively water-repellent.
Michael C. Sinclair, MD
Vermontville