Webs on Cedar Elm - Ask Extension
There are webs on my Cedar Elm in my backyard. I opened one of the webs and there were a few very small (1/16") spiders in there. I didn't see any...
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Webs on Cedar Elm #373350
Asked October 28, 2016, 5:37 PM EDT
There are webs on my Cedar Elm in my backyard. I opened one of the webs and there were a few very small (1/16") spiders in there. I didn't see any other kind of insect. What are creating the webs and will they hurt the Cedar Elm? Thank you !
Williamson County Texas
Expert Response
It sounds like your elm has a bad case of spider mites. This is one of the common afflictions that Cedar Elms are prone to here in Central Texas and the end of a hot summer is prime time for them.
It won't harm the tree but will cause leaf drop and some unsightly foliage.
Since it is near the time they are going to drop their leaves anyway (because it's a deciduous tree), you can just ignore it.
But, if you really want to do something, an easy thing is to just blast the spiders out with a jet of water. Make sure to get underneath the leaves because that's where the pests hang out. The spider mites don't like getting wet and will move on to something else.
Next year you can keep up the blasting routine any time you notice a new habitation. In my opinion it's not worth a chemical response because spider mites are so common and will just reinfect the tree anyway.
It won't harm the tree but will cause leaf drop and some unsightly foliage.
Since it is near the time they are going to drop their leaves anyway (because it's a deciduous tree), you can just ignore it.
But, if you really want to do something, an easy thing is to just blast the spiders out with a jet of water. Make sure to get underneath the leaves because that's where the pests hang out. The spider mites don't like getting wet and will move on to something else.
Next year you can keep up the blasting routine any time you notice a new habitation. In my opinion it's not worth a chemical response because spider mites are so common and will just reinfect the tree anyway.
