Oak Moth Larvae

Hi! My name is Blair Glenn. I am an ISA Certified Arborist. The topic that I want to talk about today is dealing with the damage to leaves especially the new leaves on a live Oak Tree. I picked a few branches from some very fresh leaves that just sprouted out on this live oak. The date right now is April 3rd and it is spring time so we got a lot of brand new growth on this tree. If you look very closely at the center of the stem, there is very small caterpillar on here. He is only about a quarter of an inch long. They move fairly quickly throughout the trees and they have a various appetite. Now, he is up there into the fresh new leaves and he is going to town. The damage that these caterpillars can cause to a live oak tree can be excessive. They can completely defoliate a tree in three to four weeks if there is a large outbreak of these insects. So what do you do if you see these caterpillars? The most important thing you can do is to monitor your tree. Pay attention to all the ends of the branches especially the ones down low that you can see clearly. You will be able to recognize if the new leaf growth is being chewed on especially if you see a lot of areas that had being devoured by these insects. Paying attention to your tree is the single most important thing that you can do to manage the decision making whether you get the trees spread or whether you believe the tree can manage a certain number of insects. Bear in mind that there are some birds that are national predators for this insects and excessive outbreak can be devastating so pay attention. My name is Blair Glenn. I am a certified Arborist. Thank you for taking the time to view this brief presentation.