Asked on Jun 06, 2017

Web worms are taking over my house and my yard. Please help!

Kim
by Kim
Web worms are really bad this year in Texas where I live. They are literally crawling all over people if they spend any amount of time outside. These worms will continue to crawl on people and this is how they make their way into your house. Any suggestions on how to get rid of them? There are thousands.
  14 answers
  • Shoshana Shoshana on Jun 06, 2017

    The safest and most effective method of what to do about webworms is as follows: Prune the tree in the spring and spray with a lime-sulfur and dormant oil spray. As buds begin to break, follow up your webworm treatment by spraying Sevin or Malathion and repeat in 10 days. Also, make sure to clean up any leaf debris to remove overwintering populations.


    • Christine Quinn Christine Quinn on Jun 07, 2017

      last year i used my propane weed torch on the webs ... and also covered the ground around the trees that had webs with diatomacious earth.... I havent seen any webs yet this year.... I have 5 acres and trees trees everywhere trees

  • Brenda Brenda on Jun 06, 2017

    I agree with above

  • Jan Clark Jan Clark on Jun 06, 2017

    You need help right now! Use a product called BT. Ask at the nursery, it comes in many other names but the active ingredient is BT. Add a little soap to the sprayer to cut through the webbing so the bacteria can kill the worms and spray those little buggers to death. You can also use a propane torch (duct taped to an extension pole if necessary) to burn the webs, but be careful to have a hose nearby if the foliage catches on fire. Next year, get them under control before now.

    • See 1 previous
    • Caroline Counard Caroline Counard on Sep 03, 2019

      Yes, many Pecan Orchards in Texas the farmers use the blow torch method. But, as many have mentioned it is BEST TO prevent it. BT is a bacteria (you mix up in sprayer but of course do NOT want to get in your eyes, mouth, etc). Dormant oil spray will help prevent. Taking good care of trees, as this stuff spreads like WILDFIRE or the flu for plants/trees.

  • John Boutwell John Boutwell on Jun 07, 2017

    it's easy to get rid of web worms in tree's

    just get a sprayer for your garden hose that you can use to spray your garden with miracle grow makes a good one.

    then put dawn dish detergent in it and spray all the tree it will kill the web worms.

    dawn has a drying agent in it and it's like putting salt on a slug.

    • See 1 previous
    • Caroline Counard Caroline Counard on Sep 03, 2019

      John, thank you. I have studied organic gardening for 20 years and NEVER heard this one. I have a Bug-A-Salt rifle and web worm up in my River Birch about 20 feet up. I was wondering if I could spray them with salt. Ha ha

  • Melissa Kenney Melissa Kenney on Jun 07, 2017

    We call those tent worms in NH. I got rid of them on crab apple trees about 8 years ago & we haven't seen them since. I used one of those Miracle Grow spray bottles that requires pumping a handle to get it to shoot far. Inside, I combined water with a few drops of Ivory Dish Soap & rubbing alcohol. If I remember, it was 1 part rubbing alcohol to 2 parts water. Then I just shot the nests until they broke open & kept spraying the worms/caterpillars. Only use Ivory as it will not burn the plant like some others can. The dish soap allows the mixture to stick to it's target while the rubbing alcohol burns the worms but evaporates too quickly to harm the plant. Water is needed to dilute the alcohol as well to protect the plant. Once they fell to the ground, the birds took care of them. Then I placed a small ring of cedar mulch around the trees & the worms have not returned in all this time. Good luck.

  • Martha Martha on Jun 07, 2017

    We called them bag worms in Iowa. I was lucky enough to catch some of the bags before the worms started spreading. I cut the bags down and burned them then sprayed the tree and the ground around it with insect killer. Never came back. They will spread like crazy and suck the life out of trees and bushes.

  • Alradborn Alradborn on Jun 07, 2017

    I didn't have propane, I used a tiki torch. With garden hose nearby for safety.

  • Margolynluvsu Margolynluvsu on Jun 07, 2017

    Sprinkle baby powder on them and around the plants. It kills anything that crawls.😁


  • Kim Kim on Jun 08, 2017

    Thank you so much for all of your comments. I am going to try some of the different techniques to attempt to eradicate those pesky insects this weekend.

    • Debra Duke Debra Duke on Jun 09, 2017

      Hi Kim, call your local feed store to see if they have the wasp eggs that hatch and then eat web worms. They are real small wasp and do not sting. I have used them for several years on rental properties and they hatch in a few days and worms are gone in no time.

  • Judi Judi on Jun 08, 2017

    They were bad here in Oklahoma last year and the OSU At department suggested knocking them out of the tree with a pressure washer, then treating them on the ground with an insecticide. Took some work, but was worth it. Thosebuggers are

    nasty

  • Patricia Patricia on Jun 08, 2017

    i just use the wasp killer that sprays 25 feet-- they dont come back

  • Wandamurline Wandamurline on Jun 08, 2017

    We used to have lots of a bird called a yellow billed kookoo (misspelled) or some called them rain crows....and these worms were their favorite. But, over time their numbers have dwindled because of spraying pesticides .... that is one reason everything I grow is organic and everything I use on bugs is organic, and I use the torch like the guy stated above.

  • Debra Schultz Debra Schultz on Jun 09, 2017

    Spray the nests with wasp spray and they turn into a green goo. These pest leave a fine string of webbing on branches so they can find there way back to the nest. Try to make sure none get away and spray I the late after noon when they have returned to the nest. Cut the branch off and either burn it or place it in a black plastic bag sealed and leave it I the sun for a day to make sure they all die then you can just dispose of them. I prefer to burn them. Note if you cant cut the branch just make sure you saturate the nest and kill them the nest will fall eventually.

  • Debra Duke Debra Duke on Jun 09, 2017

    After fighting this problem at several rental properties , I found a solution that requires no more than a trip to Foreman's General Store in Colleyville and hanging a small strip of wasp eggs in the tree. I can't remember the full name of the wasp, but it starts with tric , so I just ask for the tricky wasp that eat web worms. The eggs hatch in a few days and worms are gone in no time. The wasp are small and do not sting.