The greatest natural enemy to caterpillars are paper wasps. I hardly have any this year, so I'm relying on the second greatest natural enemy, bacillus thurengiensis (sp???). You can get "BT" to spray on them at most any garden store including Wal-Mart. BT is a disease to the caterpillars but not to birds, pets, or fish.
Will you lose the tree? I've seen a few trees wiped out in a single attack. But I've seen way more trees survive. Too bad you didn't think to act when you first saw the worms. Now that you have the experience, painful as it was, you'll ALWAYS remember what those worms look like.
_________________ David Hall Moderator Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum
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