Last year, for the first time, we had a harvest from our apple trees. Partly that occurred after I sprayed them with sulfur following bloom. Partly because I paid attention to a leaf-eating native insect, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar. They love to form nests in the crotches of trees.
One of our biggest trees got completely defoliated in just a few days last year; it did leaf out again but no apples came from it. I consider it my control, since the trees that I did manage yielded a good harvest. So this year, I used a long stick, or a telescoping pole with a brush on the end to remove the webbed nests. Advice from professions such as Penn State's Extension service recommend dropping the nests in soapy water. I did that last year but this year I just put them on the ground and stomped on them.
Penn State gives advice for pesticides, but I don't see the need for such a small and non-fatal infestation; I think that I have removed a dozen nests from three trees. Our cherry tree escaped this year, the the caterpillars show no interest in our figs. I hope that we will again have homemade apple sauce in the larder for 2024. I put put about a dozen jars last year.
In the woods, wild cherry trees are full of the nests. I leave them be, so birds will have plenty of moths in their diet.
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
