What's eating my aesculus flava?

Aesculus flava (yellow buckeye) is a robust native North American tree. Caterpillars including fall webworm and walnut caterpillar occasionally defoliate branches. Aphids and scale insects are secondary pests. White-tailed deer browse young saplings in woodland settings. Fall webworm is the most visible pest, creating large silken tents from midsummer.

Large silk tents enclosing leaf clusters at branch tips from July onward; caterpillars consume foliage inside the tent, causing branch-level defoliation. Prune out and destroy tents when small; Bt or spinosad spray for young larvae; no treatment needed on healthy large trees.

Soft colonies on new growth cause curling and honeydew drip; usually heaviest in spring flush. Strong water spray or insecticidal soap; natural enemies normally reduce populations through summer without intervention.

Young saplings browsed to stubs; bark rubbed and shredded by antler velvet removal in summer and rutting in autumn. Tall wire fencing or individual tree tubes for young trees in deer-prone areas.