Those Webs Covering Your Shrubs Aren't Spiders. Here's What They Are & What To Do About It

There are countless stunning shrubs that homeowners add to their landscape for various reasons. Perhaps you added shrubs to your backyard for a natural privacy fence. Or maybe you wanted beautiful plants for your front yard to add curb appeal. Unfortunately, planting certain shrubs or trees may attract an annoying pest to the area that will leave an unsightly surprise on your carefully curated landscape. 

If you've noticed giant webs covering you're shrubs, you've come to the right place. Most homeowners see these massive web coverings and instantly assume they have a spider problem. In some cases, they even start researching what types of spiders make their homes in shrubs. Maybe that's even how you've landed here. If you are someone who hates spiders or other arachnids, you may be happy to know the culprit is not an eight-legged creepy crawly. It's actually a type of moth caterpillar called a fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea). These web-spinning insects are largely considered pests that feed on deciduous shrubs and trees.

Fall webworms are a type of caterpillar that spin silk webs, which are commonly mistaken for spider webs. You can tell if these webs are fall webworm webs based on timing of their formation and their web characteristics. Usually, you will start seeing webs appear on your shrubs around July, and they will remain until August if left alone. They might start out looking like a web spread across one area, but they will eventually grow into more of a cone or tent shape. If you look into the webs, you will see several small worms feeding on the leaves together. Eventually, these caterpillars turn into white moths, usually sometime in the late summer or fall.

Fall webworms are mostly unsightly and annoying, meaning they aren't one of the beneficial insects you should avoid killing at all costs. That being said, they don't really do enough damage to your trees to warrant pest control measures. They will eat the leaves of your shrubs, but the damage is generally limited to the area in and around the webs. Experts don't typically recommend removal, especially with pesticides, but it is okay to manually remove them if you don't like the way they look in your trees.

After determining that you are actually dealing with fall webworms, there are a few things you can do to get rid of them. As mentioned before, pesticides or sprays are not necessary and can do a lot more harm than good. Though there are some insecticides you could use if you absolutely wanted to. However, alternative removal methods are extremely simple. 

Instead of spraying, you can simply remove the worms manually. And no, you don't really need to use your hands, although you can if you aren't squeamish. Instead, you can use a pole or other device to lift the insects away from the shrub. Alternatively, you can use a pair of sharp pruning shears and cut the affected branches just below the webbing to prune the entire colony away in one go. And that's all there is to it! No more unsightly webs detracting from the natural beauty of your plants. Once you remove them, you can keep fall webworms out of your garden by attracting natural predators, which will also help improve your front or backyard ecosystem.