Oak Tree Leaf Eating Caterpillars - Ask Extension
What type of caterpillar has eight full length yellow stripes on a black body with a black head and grey to white fuzzy hair? The yellow stripes are f...
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Oak Tree Leaf Eating Caterpillars #218467
Asked October 27, 2014, 10:43 AM EDT
What type of caterpillar has eight full length yellow stripes on a black body with a black head and grey to white fuzzy hair? The yellow stripes are four to the side with the black line down the back being twice the width of all the other stripes. They are completely defoliating Oak trees. They look similar to a Yellow Neck Caterpillar without the yellow band on the neck and with the wider stripe down the back. How do I control them or kill them if necessary? Thanks
Waller County Texas
Expert Response
HOWDY!
I think it is a type of tent catepillar. - but not 100% sure from picture. If you can provide additional photos - I will forward to a friend of mine. Nonetheless, treatment in the tree will most likely be the same... (issues will be getting spray in the tree to cover foliage so they can eat the chemical (Bt) or come in contact with chemical (spinosad or carbaryl).
Here is some suggestions as well as a link: http://nueces.agrilife.org/files/2011/08/tent-caterpillars.pdf
The safest products for homeowner situations would be Bt (Dipel, Thuricide, Caterpillar Killer), and products with spinosad (ex: Green Light Lawn and Garden with Spinosad), or use wetable Sevin (Carbaryl) + soap.
These insects are cyclical in nature, and mature native trees have lived through these outbreaks for hundreds of years. The foliage will return, but at a cost to the food storage of the tree and will cause stress.
To reduce stress - If rainfall is low, you may want to irrigate trees to a total of 1 inch per week. Also an application of nitrogen fertilizer in Spring would help the trees put on new leaves faster. For large trees, apply about 10-20 pounds of a nitrogen fertilizer (slow release urea 21-0-0-3 or similar) and water in thoroughly to not burn turfgrass beneath the tree. Apply fertilizer around the dripline of the tree, which is out below the outer branches where most of the fibrous roots are.
However - doing nothing is an option that works also. This is an unsightly seen, but a natural one that rarely causes serious harm to a healthy tree. If it young or real old, caution should be used.
Thanks - hope that helps. cd
I think it is a type of tent catepillar. - but not 100% sure from picture. If you can provide additional photos - I will forward to a friend of mine. Nonetheless, treatment in the tree will most likely be the same... (issues will be getting spray in the tree to cover foliage so they can eat the chemical (Bt) or come in contact with chemical (spinosad or carbaryl).
Here is some suggestions as well as a link: http://nueces.agrilife.org/files/2011/08/tent-caterpillars.pdf
The safest products for homeowner situations would be Bt (Dipel, Thuricide, Caterpillar Killer), and products with spinosad (ex: Green Light Lawn and Garden with Spinosad), or use wetable Sevin (Carbaryl) + soap.
These insects are cyclical in nature, and mature native trees have lived through these outbreaks for hundreds of years. The foliage will return, but at a cost to the food storage of the tree and will cause stress.
To reduce stress - If rainfall is low, you may want to irrigate trees to a total of 1 inch per week. Also an application of nitrogen fertilizer in Spring would help the trees put on new leaves faster. For large trees, apply about 10-20 pounds of a nitrogen fertilizer (slow release urea 21-0-0-3 or similar) and water in thoroughly to not burn turfgrass beneath the tree. Apply fertilizer around the dripline of the tree, which is out below the outer branches where most of the fibrous roots are.
However - doing nothing is an option that works also. This is an unsightly seen, but a natural one that rarely causes serious harm to a healthy tree. If it young or real old, caution should be used.
Thanks - hope that helps. cd
