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Starting Catalpa Worm Population on Your Trees

Best Method

Collect egg masses from a heavily infested tree in February–March and attach them to your catalpa leaves. Alternatively, transfer very young caterpillars.

Life Cycle Context

Adults emerge in spring, lay 100–1000 eggs in masses on leaf undersides.
Eggs hatch in 5–7 days.
Caterpillars feed, then pupate in soil over winter.

Parasitic wasps kill many caterpillars; boosting numbers increases chances some survive.

Trees: Wood-Boring Insects in Lilac: Understanding "Wood Worm" Concerns; "Catawba Worms" Eating Fruit Trees: Probably Eastern Tent Caterpillars; Catawba Worm Rash: Urticating Hairs from Other Caterpillars; Starting Catalpa Worms: Transfer Eggs or Young Caterpillars; Mimosa Webworm on Mature Honey Locusts: Treatment Timing and Options; Fall Webworm Sacks on Walnut in Ohio: Identification and Control; Identifying and Controlling Bagworms on Cypress Trees; Attracting Catalpa (Catawba) Worms for Fishing Bait; Restoring Catalpa Worms for Fish Bait; Oak Moth Outbreak Defoliating Trees: Temporary and Cyclical

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