Berry’s Picks

Mesquite Cut Worm

If you have not noticed, a large majority of our mesquite trees have been defoliated.

We have had a good many calls asking what has happened to the mesquites. Hypothesis to explain the mesquite defoliation phenomena range from damage due to the extreme cold weather this last February to too much moisture this spring and my favorite Russian or Chinese manipulation of radio waves.

A tree that rarely gets any love is all of the sudden getting attention and even some sympathy.

But alas you needn’t worry about the rascal mesquite tree, it is only facing a small set back caused by one of the few pests that will feed on it, the Melipotis indomita alias “mesquite cutworm”.

This year we have experienced the biggest outbreak of mesquite cutworms we have seen in many years.

This large population or outbreak is probably due to the below average temperatures and above average rainfall we have experienced. The mesquite cutworm is actually not a worm at all but a caterpillar.

The caterpillar will normally feed during the cooler part of the day, early morning or late evening. During the heat of the day, they will hide under plant debris or in the soil. They eat all the delicate parts of the leaf leaving the midribs, stems and a mostly bare tree. The caterpillar is dark colored with colored spots.

The caterpillars have about run their course for now and the mesquite trees will begin to put on new leaves.

While there is really no reason to treat your trees, if you have a mesquite yard tree you can use most any over-the-counter caterpillar insecticide to kill the caterpillars.

If your tree is small enough you can do a foliar treatment or on large trees you can spray the trunk and get the caterpillars as they climb up the tree. However, as indicated they have about run their course and it is probably too late to treat.

Perhaps the biggest issue with the mesquite cutworm is their interference with mesquite control timing. Now is the perfect time to apply foliar sprays to kill mesquite trees, but if they have been defoliated by the mesquite cutworm then there are no leaves to spray.

If you had plans to spray, check to see if your trees have been damaged if so, do not waste money on spraying until the mesquites put on new leaves.

While the mesquite cutworm is no real threat, I still do recommend a layer of tin foil under your hat or cap to protect from yourself from Chinese or Russian radio waves.