Combatting Fall Cankerworms

Though trees seem solid and resilient, trees can succumb to a number of pests. From aphids to southern pine beetles, pests can weaken trees and destroy entire gardens. Shrubs and trees in an urban environment are particularly vulnerable to pests and diseases. Perhaps one of the most underrated, yet most destructive, pests is the fall cankerworm.

What are cankerworms?

Fall cankerworms (also known as looper worms) get their name from their life cycle. Having been laid in the fall, their eggs hatch in late spring. This pest immediately starts devouring buds and young leaves, transforming trees into wooden skeletons.

Warning signs of fall cankerworms

Fall cankerworms will first start dropping onto your car, patio table, or sidewalk. If you spot green-brownish worms with stripes on their backs, watch out. These worms eat the foliage of maple, hickory, and other hardwood trees. If you notice leaves getting holes and ragged edges, then it’s possible the fall cankerworm pest has hit your trees.

How fall cankerworms can harm trees

Fall cankerworms don’t just make your trees look ugly by devouring their leaves and buds. These worms rob trees of their energy sources and vitality. Without leaves—where photosynthesis happens—trees will starve. As a result, your trees will become weak and vulnerable to disease.

How to get rid of fall cankerworms

Call the professionals if fall cankerworms have infested your trees and shrubs. Our most effective method to prevent fall cankerworm pests at Schneider Shrub and Tree Care consists in tree banding. We wrap bands covered with a sticky substance around tree trunks. The sticky bands trap moths when they’re climbing up to lay their eggs.

Aside from periodic checks to ensure the bands remain debris-free, this method costs less than using insecticide, which requires multiple applications each week.

Insect pests like fall cankerworms aren’t the only things that can pose a threat to the health of your shrubs and trees. Diseases and malnutrition can harm your shrubs and trees just as much as an army of ravenous fall cankerworms. Schneider Shrub and Tree Care offers a three-tier healthcare program that’ll help your plants resist pests and thrive for years to come.

Your Trees Are Hungry! Fall Feedings Can Help.

Your Trees Are Hungry! Fall Feedings Can Help.

The giant plant from “Little Shop of Horrors” had it right when he yelled one specific command at the meek shop clerk taking care of him: “Feed me, Seymour!” Your trees and shrubs might be trying to tell you the same thing!

Your plants need taking care of, especially after all the heat we’ve been getting. Thankfully, summer weather is starting to wind down; mornings are getting cooler (at least for us in Taylors, SC), and it’s really beginning to feel like Fall. Now is the perfect time to help your trees and shrubs recover from the high temperatures, and Schneider Shrub and Tree Care has the answer: Fall Feeding!

Our Fall Feedings provide nutrients that help your trees recover from stress and stay protected from harmful effects, like illness and insect attacks. If your home is located in Charleston, SC, then you know all about stressed trees. After the hurricane, many trees are down, broken, or under extreme stress from the harsh weather; even properties in Charlotte, NC have been hit with storm damage and heavy winds, leaving them vulnerable and weak. Trees in the urban forest are generally under stress simply because trees are naturally designed to live and thrive in forest environments, where they are able to take up nutrients from leaves that fall to the ground and rot away. Fall Feedings supply beneficial nutrients that your tree is unlikely to get in more urban settings.

Fall Feedings are one good way to keep the family’s favorite tree well-nourished and standing strong. Call Schneider Shrub and Tree Care today to speak with an arborist and find out more about Fall Feedings and how they can help keep your trees and shrubs satisfied and healthy!