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7/18/2025 1:16:40 PM
Breaking News

What's spinning these webs? May not be what you believe


What's spinning these webs? May not be what you believe


– – Just in time for the spooky season, you might be observing a growing number of webs on Ohio trees.

No, these do not belong to any huge spiders.

The big webs are the work of fall webworms. Perhaps even the work of a couple of generations of fall webworms.

These nests of fall webworms are often incorrectly attributed to camping tent caterpillars, bagworms, or spongy moths, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

The nests can cover 2-3 feet - - and even bigger.

Fortunately, the fall webworm and their webs are "mostly harmless," according to the specialists.

" Fall webworm nests generally emerge in late summer and early fall," stated ODNR Division of Forestry, Forest Health Program Manager Tom Macy in a press release. "They feed on more than 400 species of shrubs and trees however are regularly discovered on black walnut, black cherry, and hickories. They typically defoliate one or a couple of branches and can sometimes have break outs that result in the defoliation of whole trees, they do not directly trigger tree death."

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According to the ODNR, fall webworms, while in their caterpillar phase, can be up to an inch and a half in length and are normally pale yellow to gray in color with little light-colored hairs and dark spots. As adult moths, they are normally white with a wingspan of about a half and an inch.

Credit: ODNR


Their silk nests can remain into the winter season, and as specialists discuss, the moth's eggs are often laid on or near the nests from which they originally came. The 2nd generation of caterpillars then expands the nests that were constructed by the first generation of caterpillars.

Experts say, control procedures for fall webworms are generally not needed which the bugs have many natural predators.

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Elwood Hill
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Elwood Hill

Elwood Hill is an award-winning journalist with more than 18 years' of experience in the industry. Throughout his career, John has worked on a variety of different stories and assignments including national politics, local sports, and international business news. Elwood graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in journalism and immediately began working for Breaking Now News as lead journalist.