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February 16, 2023
If you’ve spent any time outside or even driving around Maine in the last few weeks, there’s a good chance you’ve noticed browntail moth caterpillar winter webs in the leafless trees. Pine State Pest Solutions owner, Parker Adams, was recently passing by the Saco exit and noticed the trees were loaded with webs as were trees in Old Orchard Beach and in many communities throughout our state. He’s not the only one paying attention to these pests either. In an update released earlier this month, the Maine Forest Service was focused on raising awareness about browntail moth caterpillar webs in Maine. In fact, they’re encouraging residents to follow the four Rs if they’re not quite sure how to identify or remove webs.
What are the four Rs according to the Maine Forest Service?
Recognize
Do you know what a browntail moth caterpillar winter web looks like? If not, now is the time to find out. If you see these webs in the trees where you live, you’ll want to take action.
Remove
Before caterpillars become a serious problem on your property, you’ll want to remove and destroy their winter webs. The Maine Forest Service recommends using hand snips or an extendable pole pruner to accomplish this but also cautions against getting too close to power lines and other hazards.
Recruit
If you’re unable to reach winter webs, you might consider recruiting professional help. For instance, you could call a licensed arborist to remove browntail moth webs in areas you can’t reach or that are too close to hazards. The Maine Forest Service also recommends hiring licensed pesticide applicators to treat browntail moths during the growing season.
Reach out
If you find winter webs on your property, make sure you tell your neighbors and even town officials. In some communities, browntail moth caterpillar winter webs might be a new thing and it’s imperative to let others know they’ve arrived.
Pine State Pest Solutions is currently scheduling browntail moth assessments
Despite your best efforts at knocking down BTM winter webs down, there’s still a chance your property could see BTM activity this spring. If you want to avoid encounters with these pests and their toxic, rash-inducing hairs, consider reaching out to Pine State for help getting rid of them.
Our browntail moth control division focuses solely on treating this particular pest problem from April through May and offers tree micro injects and tree spraying. We also provide vehicle-mounted tree spraying for large properties with an acre or more of trees.
Don’t put up with browntail moth caterpillars this year, reach out to schedule your BTM assessment with Pine State before our schedule fills up!
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