Protecting the City of Trees – Canker Worms

Fall is a beautiful time of the year in the Charlotte area. Being a city of trees benefits us with an array of color, the sound of crisp leaves under foot, and of course the exercise of removing those leaves. There is also another character that loves fall in a city of trees, and that is the fall canker worm. Anyone who has lived in the area for any time has probably heard of this character. So why do they love it here? Our trees fit their lifestyle. They mate in December. The female will then crawl up our oaks and lay her eggs on the branches. In the spring as our trees start to form the beautiful canopy we so love, the eggs will hatch and the small green caterpillars will begin to feed on the leaves. They literally can defoliate a very large tree. Typically, this in itself will not kill the tree, but will weaken it and set it up for other issues such as disease and insect problems, which over time can kill the tree. So what do we do?

 Fall Canker Worm

The best solution individual properties can incorporate is banding of the affected trees. As you ride around in November and December you will begin to notice bands of assorted types around the trunks of the willow oaks, and other trees that are touching the willow oaks. What does this band do? Quite simply it catches the female as she climbs the tree and prevents her from making it up to lay her eggs. The bands will have some type of sticky substance that the canker worm will stick to, stopping it in its tracks. They will also have some type of soft foam behind them to keep the worm from sneaking around it. This method is very effective if installed correctly. All the willow oaks need to be banded. Trees touching the willow oaks also need to be banded as the worms can move from tree to tree.

Tree Banding

While this is a very simplified explanation, the idea is to stop the cankerworms from climbing. Over the next few weeks we will be sending out proposals to install this banding on properties that have willow oaks. If you receive one of these proposals please let us know as soon as possible if you would like this service. Timing is everything.

As for me, last year I did not band the 5 large willow oaks that I have in my yard. I saw the beginning of an infestation in the spring. You better believe I will be banding them this year. I love living in a city of trees.