Fall Webworms and Eastern Tent Caterpillars
Two Very Common Pests That Are Easy to Confuse
🐜 Garden Pests | by Guy Saldiveri | October 2, 2026
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| Webworm Infestation |
Oaks, pecans, and many other trees are all subjected to infestations by at least one of them for a good portion of the year. How much damage they do depends on how bad the infestation is, and the overall age and health of the tree.
In my personal observations, the older, more mature trees that are generally healthy just shrug off the attack and keep on doing what trees naturally do. The young, diseased, or heavily stressed trees are the ones that have a hard time dealing with them. There are exceptions of course, but this is generally what I've observed and what the research supports.
Characteristics
Fall Webworms
Native range - Southern Canada, throughout the Continental US, and into Northern Mexico.
Webworm Moth - Adult moths are generally pure white in northern regions and spotted in southern regions.
- Prevalent late spring into fall.
- Infestations occur on pecan trees, oaks and a variety of other hardwood trees.
- Grayish-white webs are typically found at the ends of branches.
- Depending on the type, there can be up to five generations each year in the southern US.
- Natural enemies include spiders, birds, and wasps.
Eastern Tent Caterpillars
Native to much of eastern North America.
Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth - Adult moths are brownish with two pale stripes running down the forewings.
- Eggs overwinter on twigs and hatch in early spring.
- Common hosts include wild cherry, apple, crabapple, and other fruit and hardwood trees.
- Caterpillars create tents in branch crotches and forks.
- Usually produce one generation per year.
- Natural enemies include birds, parasitic wasps and flies, predatory insects, and other wildlife.
Damage
Fall Webworms
- Fall webworms consume foliage within their protective webs. As the caterpillars grow, they expand the webbing to encompass additional leaves and branches.
- Heavy infestations can defoliate portions of a tree, but healthy, established trees generally tolerate even substantial defoliation and produce new foliage afterward. The biggest concern is usually a young, already stressed, or otherwise unhealthy tree.
- Smaller trees with heavy infestations can seriously stress or potentially kill a young or already compromised tree.
Eastern Tent Caterpillars
- Eastern tent caterpillars emerge in early spring and feed on new leaves. They can completely strip individual branches and, during severe infestations, defoliate much of a tree.
- Fortunately, most healthy, established trees recover without lasting harm. They also tend to have a much shorter window of activity than fall webworms, since they feed early in the growing season and produce only one generation each year.
Identification
Fall Webworms
Typically build webs at the ends of branches..jpg)
Fall Webworms - Caterpillars stay hidden inside the webbing and feed on the foliage.
- Primarily a summer and fall pest.
- More difficult for natural predators to get access to because they stay inside the webbing.
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Eastern Tent Caterpillars
Build tents in branch crotches and forks.
Eastern Tent Caterpillars - Caterpillars leave the tent to feed, opening them up to predators when they do.
- Primarily a spring pest.
Control
While there are differences in habit, these two pests have very similar control methods. First and foremost, just leaving them alone is often a very viable option. Both are actually a sought-after food source with a whole host of natural predators and parasites.
If you have a light infestation, you can just let the weather, the tree's natural defenses, and nature do their thing. While defoliation can result in serious harm, more often it's light enough that it isn't a catastrophe. Remember, this is all part of your local ecosystem. While it may not always look pretty, its main function is to survive, and it does that very well.
Most host trees are very resilient and can usually withstand the attack. They'll most likely recover very well on their own. If you find the webs unsightly (and most folks do), you can open them up to allow the natural predators to have full access.
If you really want, you can spray Bt or Spinosad. Both can be effective, but you'd have to be able to reach each web. This could be problematic because the nest area is often high up in the tree. Reaching it without a long ladder or, in some instances, a crane is just impossible and very impractical.
And I don't know about you, but I'm not about to hire a crane to get rid of some caterpillars that are not only native to the area, but have been around longer than my family has been in the country.
A few other thoughts on control methods
Looking through the forums I always find it interesting to read the same responses from others on how to get rid of these pests. They generally cover doing nothing to pruning back the branch to believe it or not, using a torch to burn it all out.
Now I've already said I agree with the doing nothing for the most part suggestion, but pruning off the limb or using a torch? I find these suggestions nothing short of a head-slapping HUH?
I mean, how can anyone seriously suggest that cutting off the limb or burning it causes less damage than the infestation would? Ok, if the entire tree is engulfed and there's no way to save it, sure, but for a healthy limb that's covered in a 2-foot web? It's just something that makes me shake my head in wonder…
And besides, you still have the issue with the ones that are 30 feet up in the air. 🤷♀️
And on that note, that's it for this one. When in doubt, just take a deep breath and let the ecosystem do its thing. After all, nature is the best painter there is; give her a blank canvas and watch her grow.
Happy Gardening 🌱