Do you have any products to control mimosa webworm? I get them in my large sunburst locust tree in my front yard. Presently, I use AceCap tablets where I bore holes in the trunk and insert them. Unfortunately, the tree is too tall to spray from the ground.
Mimosa webworms get active in early summer. Most eggs will be in the ground, surrounding previously infested trees, after falling from these same trees the year before when laid on leaves. Eggs may also be hidden in the bark of the tree in low areas where the trunk is likely to have cracks and slit where eggs can be hidden. Eggs laid high in the tree are usually preyed upon since these areas don’t offer any great protection from natural predators. Pupae stages will also overwinter in the ground around these same trees and in the low trunk and bark sections. Molting into adults ready to hatch the following spring, these cocoons are well hidden but ready to hatch as soon as it gets warm.
To get this pest under control, you must attack it when it’s most vulnerable. This is not when it’s atop the tree eating. In fact the best time to treat is in the late winter, early spring and then again in the summer but you can wait to treat the leaves of infested trees if the infestations are bad.
In late winter, it’s a good time to treat as much of the trunk with DORMANT OIL. This will soak into eggs and pupae killing what it coats. Though this treatment won’t solve the problem, it will help to minimize spring/summer populations.
As spring begins and becomes summer, a good strong residual to use once a month is MAXXTHOR EC. It covers all insects wanting to target plants including tree borers so its well suited to keep your trees healthy and pest free.
Plan on spraying the soil around the tree, inside the drip line of the foliage, and the trunk of the tree as high as you can reach once a month for 3 months. This will help kill off emerging young in spring summer by cutting off their exodus to the top of the tree.
As the foliage grows in, be sure to get the new leaves where you see suspect activity. If you’ve done a good winter and spring treatment, there shouldn’t be much activity by summer. But if you missed that treatment, plan on reaching up as high as possible.
Our TROMBONE SPRAYER can really help; its manually operated but should allow you to get up to 30-35 feet.
Lastly, the liquid treatments to the soil should soak in and make it’s way into the sap of the tree much like the AceCap you’ve been applying. This isn’t a sure thing but there is no doubt subtle amounts will work their way in and act as a systemic to some degree. If this happens enough it could help curb feeding on the leaves. But systemics are slow acting and not a sure thing so I would recommend the “off season” attention as being the main way you’ll be able to get control of this persistent pest.
Give us a call if you need more help. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290 and we’re open 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Mon-Thur; 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Friday and 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Saturday, Eastern Standard Time.
Cheers,
Jonathan
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Robin says
Does the sunburst locust tree need to be treated every year? How long should one treatment last?
Thank you
Tech Support says
Robin,
As explained above, you should treat once a month for at least 3 months starting in the spring. Especially if there has been a history of problems.
Regarding annual treatments; that’s up to you. Treating 2-3 every spring to early summer would insure no problems develop. But if you don’t treat, reinfestation might occur.
Technical Support
U-Spray Bugspray
http://www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290
Robin says
Also our trees are very near a lake. Can we still spray the trees? We have 2.
Tech Support says
Robin,
Treating near water is not a problem. That being said, you wouldn’t want runoff from your spray dripping into the water. So if the tree is 10 feet or more away from the lake and you don’t expect any of the spray to fall off the tree directly into the water, you should be fine. But if the trees grow over the water, you should use Essentria IC in place of the Maxxthor. Essentria is made with essential plant oils and labeled for use around sensitive areas like lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.
More information on this product can be found here:
Essentria IC3: http://www.bugspraycart.com/exempt/liquid/eco-excempt-gal
Technical Support
U-Spray Bugspray
http://www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290
Bonnie says
I don’t know how I finally stumbled upon this article, been searching extensively for years now sounds like good fresh information to help with our tree!
My gorgeous sunburst locust has yet again become infested with those dreaded mimosa webworms. Unfortunately my local garden “experts” didn’t even know what I was talking about when I approached them the first time a few years ago. They had suggested some sort of systemic in early spring, supposed to be a yearly treatment. It obviously didn’t work.
Right now I am picking the affected leaves off as I see them on the tree and disposing of them in a sealed bag. Hesitating what to try next when treating the affected leaves – I have outside cats, and hummingbirds, and other birds (which I am sure are helping with the webworms) – don’t want to harm any of those.
For the lower branches use the spray on the tips? The whole branch? I haven’t figured out how the problem begins on the trees – do the eggs get laid on the most tender tips and then work their destruction back in towards the Trunk? I would not be opposed to trim the tree if it would remove a good portion of the problem – as a matter of fact, in anticipation of this problem I waited to have the tree trimmed as a possible solution….
I had never heard of the dormant spray treatment. I knew enough to hunt down the white cocoons hidden around the rock work at the base of the house, and be vigilant about removing debris from the garden. I had thought about treating the surrounding ground around the base of the tree but didn’t know with what or how to begin.
It will need to be a neighborhood project I believe to eradicate the problem – our home is one of the oldest in the neighborhood, and has always had the sunburst locust. It was always so beautiful, many more have sprung up around us in the area and those are also affected I have noted with the mimosa webworms.
Any more information or suggestions are welcome.
Tech Support says
Bonnie,
Get the Maxxthor above and mix up 1/2 oz per gallon of water. Spray as much of the foliage as you can reach. Do the treatments in the evening, close to sunset, so it can set up on the plant overnight.
Maxxthor EC: https://www.bugspraycart.com/insecticide/liquid/maxxthor_ec.html
Use either any standard pump sprayer or our Trombone featured above. A good hose end sprayer can also reach up high assuming you have good water pressure at your house.
Eliminator Pump Sprayer: https://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/sprayers/eliminator-gallon-sprayer
Trombone: http://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/sprayers/trombone-sprayer
Hose End: https://www.bugspraycart.com/equipment/sprayers/gilmour-20g-390
Lastly, when used properly, there will be no hazard to you, pets or wildlife as explained on our site here:
Product Safety: http://www.bugspray.com/about-us/who_is_bugspray.html#safe_for_the_home
Technical Support
U-Spray Bugspray
http://www.bugspray.com
1-800-877-7290