Question
hello, i have a huge web on several branches that look like a womans pantyhose pulled over the branches they are over 20 fee long and engulf the entire branch, are thos the bad type of spiders ? (venomous) or the good type and just invasive, please advise i can sen pics if needed, thanks you Wolfgang

Answer
Wolfgang,

This may not be a spider web. Certain caterpillars, called tent caterpillars, spin a silken webbing that they use for shelter. If the tree appears to be stripped of leaves inside the web then it is probably tent caterpillars. Here's a link to these insects http://www.livingwithbugs.com/tent_cat.html that may be useful. You could also google "tent caterpillars" or "webworms".

Jack DeAngelis, PhD
Extension Entomologist (ret.)
My website about home and garden pests: http://www.livingwithbugs.com