Trees - Hickory
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  (May) What can I do to prevent or control my native hickory trees in Fayetteville from getting attacked annually from the tree girdlers? All the end branches with leaves are falling off. This happened last year same time same tree.

  If they are mature, large trees it usually doesn't really hurt them. These small insects lay eggs in the tips of branches, and the mother insect girdles the ends of the twigs where the eggs are laid. When the wind blows, the branches fall off, looking almost like they are perfectly sawed off. The key is to dispose of these small branches to kill any eggs or larvae -- this should cut down on damage next year. Insecticides are rarely recommended except on very small trees.

  My hickory trees have large webs in them. I know hickories aren’t the most desirable yard trees, but they are my main source of shade. What can I do to kill the worms that are in these webs, that won’t hurt my tree? The webs are way up in the tree, so there is no way to reach them.

  In Arkansas, we have two basic insects that form webs–in the spring, we have the Eastern tent caterpillar, and in the summer we have several generations of fall webworms. Both of these pests look worse than they are. Granted, aesthetically they are an eyesore, but they won’t hurt a large shade tree. If it is possible to reach the webs, pull them down and destroy. If you feel you must spray, use a hose-end sprayer and get as much force behind it as possible, and use either BT, Dipel or Thuricide (all the same product) or Sevin. Kill won’t be instantaneous, but it should reduce the population, and hopefully prevent heavy attacks next year. They tend to have favorite host trees, so be warned, you may see them every year.

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