Worm on apple tree - Ask Extension
I am curious to know what this small (3/4 inch) red worm with light stripes and a black head is. I believe it is defoliating the apple tree branch by...
Knowledgebase
Worm on apple tree #349736
Asked August 03, 2016, 4:58 PM EDT
I am curious to know what this small (3/4 inch) red worm with light stripes and a black head is. I believe it is defoliating the apple tree branch by branch . I found scads of worms clustered together on a branch. All the leaves from the tip of the branch were eaten with only the leaf stems left.
Dauphin County Pennsylvania
Expert Response
That looks like a tent caterpillar. The species hangs a tent between a few branches, and that is where the caterpillars live. They defoliate fruit trees. I recommend you scout around for the tent since they all return to it at night. If you can destroy the nest,preferably when they are in it, that will end the problem.
