# Tent worm nightmare



## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

Tentworms have invaded 3 of my trees near my garden RR. I mixed a batch of bleach, water and dash of soap. Hopefully that will do the trick (used ladder & spray bottle)--wonder if I should have used amonia?

My neighbors appear not to notice the tent worms on their trees, eating them alive; I sometimes think to tell them.

Next invasion will be the bag worms.


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## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By SE18 on 05/15/2009 10:12 AM
Tentworms have invaded 3 of my trees near my garden RR. I mixed a batch of bleach, water and dash of soap. Hopefully that will do the trick (used ladder & spray bottle)--wonder if I should have used amonia?

My neighbors appear not to notice the tent worms on their trees, eating them alive; I sometimes think to tell them.

Next invasion will be the bag worms.




If you use bleach, DO NOT use amonia!

If you use amonia, DO NOT use bleach!


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Don't use either. Any overspray will do in plants below. 
The tent catepillars are particularly fond of the native black cherries in our area and ornamentals in the Prunus family (cherries, plums, etc.) 
Buy yourself a pole pruner and cut out the nests and trash them. 
Winter time spraying with Permethrin can help. 

-Brian


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## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

When I was kid a neighbor had a Spring routine.. 
around dusk, he would light a small bonfire in the back yard.. 
get some long sticks/branches, go from tree to tree winding up the tents and caterpillars into blobs on the end of a stick.. 
when he had a sticky blob about the size of a basketball on the end of a stick, he would stick the tent blob into the fire..
place the burning torch upright in the ground to burn out, and continue on to make the next torch.. 


rather gruesome, but it worked! 

Scot


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## Mik (Jan 2, 2008)

My grandpap used a kerosene weed burner and cooked them right in the tree-- just keep a hose handy.... also works on hornets and yella jackets.


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## Spule 4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Burning works well as pointed out above. Ditto to the ground hornets as Mik points out. 

I have the added "fun" of breaking out in a terrible case of hives/alergic reaction from any wolly type caterpillar, as strange as that sounds!!!!


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## bryanj (Jan 2, 2008)

I used this last year for the webworms, we had a terrible outbreak here.They seemed to help 

http://www.marshallgrain.com/marsha...Parasites&pf_id=PAAAAAHGDJHMJECM&dept_id=3027


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## Al McEvoy (Jan 3, 2008)

Brian, since wintertime is over, it's too late to try wintertime solutions. If there is only grass below the affected tree, what more potent remedies can be tried right now?  I have a very mature wild cherry tree in my tiny backyard that attracts tent worms every so often. Have heard about using some kind of soap spray- do you know what that is?  


A few years ago I tried using a can of Raid common wasp/outdoor bug spray duct taped to a 7 ft. pole and that actually worked. Was tedious and messy but I got 90% of the worms (could not reach the high branches).


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## imrnjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Web worm/bag worms are a real pain in our area. I use the Fertilome borer/web worm spray with good success in the trees down near the river,(about 2 acres of 60' tall pecans) and the BT treatment around the house. Both are naturally occuring and I have not had any real issues with loss of beneficials. Good luck

Mark


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

http://www.ehow.com/how_2313729_rid-tent-caterpillars.html


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## hap (Jan 3, 2008)

I tie an old sock to a long pole dip the sock in gasoline or charcol lighter fluid and light it and burn the nests up does very little damage to branches, of courseit kills the leaves there but they grow back


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