Clark County — Those masses of webworms you could soon see infesting your plants may seem like trouble, but are actually mostly harmless. That’s the message from Vancouver Urban Forestry as we near fall, the time that webworms start worming their way back into our lives.
This year’s population of the critters is higher than normal, according to Urban Forestry. But despite their numbers, the worms shouldn’t cause many problems. They eat leaves off the plants they choose to nest on, but those should come back without any lasting damage to the plant.
You can remove the nests if you prefer, the city says, but warns against using pesticides, which will kill beneficial insects and keep away the worms’ natural predators.
“The best management strategy is to let nature take its course,” said Vancouver Forester Charles Ray in a press release.
