Orange-Striped Oakworm

**Orange-Striped Oakworm (Anisota senatoria)**

Moths are brown with a white spot and a dark stripe down each wing
Male moths are smaller with transparent forewings
Eggs hatch about a week after being laid
Caterpillars are tiny, greenish-yellow with a pair of horns behind their heads, and eventually grow to become black worms with yellow stripes
Young worms feed together and alone when they grow older
One generation per year
Late season defoliators are less harmful to large trees
Worms produce frass pellets that can dropdown from infested trees
Mature worms can be found outside of the trees, on the sidewalk or near yards
Caterpillars dig into the soil to pupate about three inches down, where worms overwinter as pupae
Defoliation causes twig dieback and can be made worse due to sun scald or other stressors
Small trees can be defoliated by mid to late summer
Host plants: Mostly oaks, but can be found on birch, hazelnut, hickory, maple, and other hardwood trees

Natural predators: birds, paper wasps, parasitoids
Shake branches of small trees to make the caterpillars fall to the ground and squish them
Install wasp nest boxes nearby to enhance predator populations

Contact insecticides:
- Pyrethroids [3A]: -thrins
- Carbamates [1A]: Carbaryl
Systemic insecticides:
- Avermectins [6]:
  - Abamectin
  - Emamectin benzoate
Considerations:
- Most trees are too large to fully treat with sprays