Fall Webworms on Crepe Myrtles: Not Tent Caterpillars

Webs on branch tips in Texas summers are fall webworms, not spring tent caterpillars. They feed inside silken tents, skeletonizing leaves. While unsightly, they rarely kill mature trees.

Control Options (Least to Most Intense)

1. Physical removal: Prune infested branch tips, destroy webs. Do early when webs are small.
2. Open webs: Use pole, rake, or water jet to tear tents, exposing caterpillars to birds/wasps.
3. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis): Spray inside opened webs when caterpillars are small (<1/2"). Organic, bee-safe.
4. Insecticides (last resort): Spinosad, carbaryl, or permethrin applied into open webs. Avoid blooming periods.
5. Trunk spray: For tall trees, band trunk with insecticide to kill descending pupating larvae.

Lifecycle Note

One to four generations per year in South. Late summer webs cause most concern but least long-term damage—trees re-leaf next spring.

Monitor early; prune small webs before they expand.