Cankerworms have returned for the third consecutive year to tear through leaves and ravage stressed oak trees.
“They are a real nuisance,” said Bob Tichenor, chief of the Forest Pest Management Section of the state agriculture department.
Residents in Anne Arundel?s Pasadena to Lake Shore areas have spotted the pesky inchworms munching on their tree leaves and dropping onto their shoulders or in their hair, said Tichenor.
Last year, the worms damaged more than 6,000 acres in that area, he said.
Cankerworms are early season defoliators, which feast on young leaves. The trees tend to recover, but since they have returned, cankerworms are affecting damaged trees, including oaks, maples and hickories, according to the state agriculture department.
Heavy defoliation occurs in May and June, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Trees in residential areas have a tough time fighting back, since other conditions such as drier soil add to the stress, Tichenor said.
Adding to the cankerworm woes is similar feasting by gypsy moth caterpillars, a destructive pest commonly foundon oaks and other hardwood trees. The young caterpillars, which hatch in April, feed on tops of trees, according to the state agriculture department.
When both worms team up to feast on innocent leaves, “it can cause alarm to people,” said Lawrence Eckart, district manager of the Anne Arundel office at Davey Tree Expert Co.
But agriculture officials have anticipated the gypsy moths, Tichenor said, and this year a spray program will treated more than 50,000 acres in 11 counties, including Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Howard and Harford.
This spraying is alleviating some of the cankerworm infestation.
Initializing a spraying program is costly and complex, so residents are encouraged to protect their trees by contacting a licensed pesticide applicator, Tichenor said.
The Davey Tree Expert Co. received “an elevated amount of calls” last year, but the worms are still in the early stages now, Eckart said.
