Question
why do some trees get worms and others do not?  i planated 2 trees 15 years ago and have never had worms on them. has it got something to do with a fly that lays eggs? how can i get the worms started on my trees?  i took some of a friends worms and put on my trees.  it didn't work.  thanks, ronnie

Answer
To get the worms on the tree a certain Moth/Butterfly has to lay its eggs on the leaves and they hatch very quickly, as soon as they hatch they immediately start eating the leaves non stop 24 hours a day and reach adult size "4.5" inches in about eight days. Some adults will crawl down the tree and into the soil at the base of the tree where they will hibernate until the next year when they emerge from the ground in the form of a flying insect; moth/butterfly and lays it's eggs and the entire cycle starts again. The caterpillars are beautiful, black with yellowish green stripes horizontally on there body. They cannot sting you but, they have suction appendages on their belly side to help hold them on the leaves and when you handle them they will try to get a grip on you. You just pull them off gently. If your tree does not get visited by this bug you need to find someone with a tree that has the caterpillars on it. Remove some of them and place them on your tree leaves so the cycle will happen on your tree/trees. Ask around fishing tackle/bait shops and ask if anyone knows someone with the caterpillars on their Catalpa tree. If you locate some take a paper bag with you and put some of the worms in the bag along with some leaves, twist the top and punch plenty of small holes in the bag. Do not use plastic! Place the worms/caterpillars on your tree leaves and they will start eating immediately!


These caterpillars you put on the tree are the seed for next generation so let them eat and mature into the Sphinx moth and the caterpillar will crawl down the tree and make a cocoon in the soil under the tree and a moth will emerge and fly to the twigs and lay its eggs. In some parts of the South this life cycle will happen several times a year. Once the moths start laying eggs your tree will be infested. Try getting caterpillars from a couple of sources and putting them on the new leaves. But there are some trees that the genetics will keep the caterpillars from establishing themselves. Good luck!