Content:
- 9 Effective Ways To Get Rid of Oak Caterpillars
- What Types of Caterpillars Live on Oak Trees?
- Conclusion
Finding caterpillars for the first time on your oak tree can be a beautiful sight because of the different colors and shapes of these tiny animals. But then, you should know that they can cause some extent of damage to your precious oak tree when they infest it in large numbers.
Truly, it is unlikely that a single caterpillar can cause severe damage to your tree, but then, it is important to act fast when you notice them to prevent an infestation of these creatures. Luckily, we will discuss some effective ways to get rid of oak caterpillars in this article. So, read on to discover more.
9 Effective Ways To Get Rid of Oak Caterpillars
Remove their webs from the tree
The difference between caterpillar webs and spider webs is that caterpillar webs are a lot more noticeable and occur more frequently on oak trees. At the beginning of the invasion, you might only notice a few webs, which will gradually increase with the population of these insects. It is important to act fast at this stage so you can prevent a potential invasion.
To remove webs, you can contact a professional pest control and removal service to help if you can’t reach the higher branches. The best time of the year to remove these webs is during the winter when caterpillars aren’t active. Also, pruning branches and cutting leaves with larvae and webbing is a great way to eliminate this problem successfully.
Use neem oil sprays
Neem oil is an oil from Azajirata indica, a plant that naturally grows and is found almost everywhere. Because of its strong odor, the oil extracted from this plant can be used as a pesticide and effectively helps to get rid of oak caterpillars. You can buy the already-made oil if you don’t have the plant around you.
All you need to do is dilute the oil with water and liquid dish soap. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray-infested areas of your oak tree, including the leaves and branches.
Use a non-toxic pesticide
Non-toxic pesticides like Bacillus thuringiensis are another great idea for getting rid of oak caterpillars because, as a natural pesticide, they do no harm to your tree and aren’t harmful to any other organisms in your ecosystem.
Mix this pesticide with some water and put the mixture in a sprayer. Apply this mixture to the areas of the tree where you see caterpillars, and this will work like magic to help eliminate and prevent further infestations of the insect.
Manually pick them off
If you just noticed the invasion and did not have any materials to help you remove them, you can manually pick them off the tree. But then, if you’re disgusted by this, you don’t have to do it. You can call a professional to do this for you.
However, if you’re doing it yourself, you’ll need a ladder to reach higher branches, a pair of gloves, and a stick. In case you don’t want to make any contact with the caterpillars, use the stick to lift them off the tree and transfer them somewhere else, or you can cut the areas of the tree where you find them.
Spray with soap and water
You can mix liquid dish soap and water if you don’t have pesticides. All you need to do is put this mixture in a spray bottle and spray away. This doesn’t kill the caterpillars. Instead, it makes the leaves too slippery for movement, so they slip off and fall to the ground. This is a great method to use, especially in the early stages of the invasion by these pests.
Make a pesticide with garlic and hot peppers
A natural method of dealing with caterpillars is to use a mixture of garlic and hot pepper. You can grate fresh garlic or use garlic powder. Any hot pepper or hot sauce you use is just fine. Mix the garlic with the pepper and add oil, liquid dish soap, and water. All you need to do is mix this and spray it onto the infested areas of your tree. The mixture has a strong, pungent smell, which will deter and eliminate these pests from your tree. They can’t stand the smell of this mix, so they sense it as a danger and an unsafe spot for breeding.
Grow caterpillar-repellent plants
Plants like mugwort, lavender, mint, sage, and wormwood have strong odors that can help get these insects as far away from your oak tree as possible. All you need to do is plant any of these near your oak tree, and you’ll get rid of the oak caterpillars in no time.
It also helps to reduce the likelihood of having other pests come near your tree. One thing to keep in mind is that the insect-repellent plant should not be planted too close to the oak tree so that it does not compete for nutrients and water. This is especially important if your oak tree is not yet fully mature.
Use duct tape on the trunk of the tree
Like the dish liquid and water spray, using duct tape makes the tree’s trunk slippery, making it harder for these pests to move freely on the tree. It is also harder for them to lay eggs or build nests when you use this tape on your oak tree. Although this method might not completely eradicate the problem, it does a great deal of good and can help reduce the onset of an infestation and control the population of these insects.
Although this method is effective, you mustn’t use duct tape where the leaves grow, so it doesn’t adversely affect growth and air supply.
Try biological control
You can take advantage of natural predators to eliminate oak tree caterpillars on your farm. All you need to do is attract predators like birds, for instance.
You can hang a bird feeder or build a birdhouse for birds on the tree so they can help get rid of your caterpillar problem.
What Types of Caterpillars Live on Oak Trees?
There are many types of caterpillar species that are attracted to oak trees, which include the following:
- Pink-Striped Oakworm Caterpillars
As the name implies, these insects have vertical pink stripes on their bodies. They have little to no hair and a big head. They usually have green or yellow bodies that turn black when the caterpillar matures. They are attracted to oak trees, especially the young ones, and if left unchecked, they can destroy your tree.
- Yellow-Necked Caterpillar
This caterpillar species is yellow with black stripes and loves to eat. These caterpillars are typically an annoyance in late summer and early fall. They’ll consume every leaf on the oak tree till they are huge enough to cocoon. They are usually easy to spot and cause visible damage to your leaves.
- Tent Caterpillar
These species have a lot of hair and are called tent caterpillars because they make tent-like webs that are silky and bear a similar resemblance to spider webs that look like large cocoons. These webs serve as a means of protection, so they don’t fall off high branches. They have small heads and reddish-brown bodies.
- Leafroller Caterpillar
These caterpillars are small and have brown or green bodies with dark heads. They make webs, but their webs don’t form tents; instead, they roll leaves into the webs so they can feed continuously without leaving their webs.
Other caterpillar species like the oak leaf skeletonizer, variable oakleaf caterpillar, orange-striped oak worm, red-humped oak worm, genus Catocala, and Polyphemus moth are usually not a cause for concern and will not damage your tree.
Conclusion
Caterpillars are beautiful creatures but can be very destructive to your oak tree. When you notice that these pests have started causing damage, it is good to take measures to get rid of them before the tree becomes infested. Plus, depending on the population, the damage to the tree could range from mild to severe.
If you don’t want to handle these insects by yourself, contacting a pest control professional is a good idea. Failure to do this can lead to the destruction of leaves, which in turn leads to stunted growth and the eventual death of your tree. Thankfully, this article has discussed some effective ways to get rid of oak tree caterpillars for better results.
