{"id":3836,"date":"2013-01-02T17:26:41","date_gmt":"2013-01-02T22:26:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/?page_id=3836"},"modified":"2025-07-24T16:20:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T20:20:28","slug":"fall-webworm","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/extension.umaine.edu\/home-and-garden-ipm\/fact-sheets\/common-name-listing\/fall-webworm\/","title":{"rendered":"Fall Webworm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fall Webworm (these caterpillars build communal nests but they are not considered to ‘significantly’ harm otherwise healthy trees found in the wild) (7\/26\/2012; Deblois, Maine)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Fall Webworm<\/strong> (Hyphantria cunea<\/em>), is a type of moth larva in the family Arctiidae which makes a communal webbed nest in the limbs of a wide variety of hardwood trees such as alder, apple, ash, cherry, willow, oak, birch, box elder (boxelder maple), elm, elderberry, hickory, mulberry, poplar, walnut and other deciduous species in the late summer and fall.\u00a0 In Maine, they may also be found on highbush blueberries, cannabis and hops.<\/p>\n

Not to be confused with the more destructive Eastern Tent Caterpillar<\/b><\/a> or the dreaded Browntail<\/strong><\/a> caterpillars, <\/em>fall webworm caterpillars show up much later in the season (approximately mid-July), well past the point when the eastern tent and browntail caterpillars have already pupated and turned into moths.\u00a0 Fall webworm is more of an aesthetic pest by virtue of their nests and the fact that the larvae are not believed to harm otherwise healthy ‘wild’ trees since the bulk of the leaf consumption occurs just prior to the natural leaf drop by the trees.\u00a0 However, the feeding by the caterpillars can<\/em> be damaging to ornamental trees.<\/p>\n

Fall Webworm Moth (Adult Stage) Potential Lookalikes:\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n