[missouri massey man]

Should be a good year for Catalpa worms...the blooms are a bit early this year. Usually 2nd week in May to get this far along. This is one of five in my yard. My Dad brought all five little sprouts out in a 5 gallon bucket 30 years ago. Sprouted in his yard off a Catalpa he remembers being the size of his wrist when he was a youngster in the early teens. It grew to become one of the largest in the area. I guess this is why I'm a 'shade tree mechanic'. :lol: :lol:

 

[4imnotright]

Wendell
Those worms are great for fishing. They'll keep you busy taking fish off the hooks.

 

[Stephenscity]

Not familiar with these. Thanks for the pic.

 

[Peacher79]

My cousin's Granpa had two of these trees in his yard. The worms are awesome fish bait.

 

[Mrs Harris]

Not familiar with these. Thanks for the pic.

Ok the worms are good for fishing, any chance of a pic of the worms so us foreigners know what you are talking about

 

[bettyp]

Not familiar with these. Thanks for the pic.

Ok the worms are good for fishing, any chance of a pic of the worms so us foreigners know what you are talking about

Come back over Shelley and take a look . You aren't a foreigner.

 

[missouri massey man]

Not familiar with these. Thanks for the pic.

Ok the worms are good for fishing, any chance of a pic of the worms so us foreigners know what you are talking about

Yes ma'am MrsHarris, but it will be a while yet. If I spray the first week of June, they can be controlled. If not within 2 to 3 weeks they can get 3" long and fat as a pencil. They will literally strip a tree this size if you don't spray. These trees are about 40' in height and the leaves are as big as a mans outstretched hand. Between the first and the tenth of June the underside of the leaves on the lower branches will be crawling with 50 to 100 tiny tiny worms on each leaf, three or four to fit a pencil eraser. They begin eating from the bottom up and when there is no wind, you can hear the tiny black droppings bounce from leaf to leaf or on the hood of a vehicle, hundreds and hundreds per minute as they eat voraciously bottom to top and grow and grow and grow. They become huge greenish bodied worms with black stripes down their backs and antennae off their coal black heads !!!! They are real good catfish bait for sure. Not all Catalpa's draw the worms and occasionally one or two of mine are not even touched by them while the remaining trees are devoured.....I tell you, it becomes W A R around here in June... :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: They usually make a comeback late in July or early August for another (weaker) go 'round.

 

[Jim in NC]

Wendell, do you know if they are also called Catawba Worms? I have heard some of the older folks talk about having a Catawba tree on their place and how the worms were good for fish bait. I have never seen one, or ifn I did, I didn't know what it was. :roll:

 

[missouri massey man]

Wendell, do you know if they are also called Catawba Worms? I have heard some of the older folks talk about having a Catawba tree on their place and how the worms were good for fish bait. I have never seen one, or ifn I did, I didn't know what it was. :roll:

Well Jim, I hadn't heard that but, then I asked MrsMassey (she's got all the smarts in the duo) and she said yes, in fact they are the same worm AND the same tree.

 

[BigDaveinKY]

Mom and Dad had five in the yard, two full grown, and three half grown, when we moved there. I don't miss them.
They were beautiful in the spring in full bloom, but what a mess when the "Indian beans" started falling.
I don't remember the worms ever being so bad that they did any major damage to the trees.
It always took a bit of time to gather a dozen or so to go fishin', and sometimes we couldn't find that many.

 

[corn cob]

we have one i moved in 1983 with tractor and loader from neighbours wonderful shade tree know havent seen worms on it ever touch wood

 

[missouri massey man]

Mom and Dad had five in the yard, two full grown, and three half grown, when we moved there. I don't miss them.
They were beautiful in the spring in full bloom, but what a mess when the "Indian beans" started falling.
I don't remember the worms ever being so bad that they did any major damage to the trees.
It always took a bit of time to gather a dozen or so to go fishin', and sometimes we couldn't find that many.

Yeah, it's weird, some trees around here never draw a worm, sometimes it may be 3, 4 years between times and other times, they show up twice a year !!! Go figger Mother Nature !!! I guarantee you can fill a two gallon bucket in no time at all...climb up and shake a branch with a tarp under it and literally hundreds will hit the ground. We have not been without them showing up for at least the last 15 years in a row.

 

[mlg]

I had a few Catalpa trees located in the western end of the county; was planning in transplanting a couple of saplings for the purpose of fish bait. Biologist in this region claim for some reason the worms don't hit in this area. There went that idea for fish bait.

 

[Jim in NC]

This link shows a pic of the worms on the tree leaves and has some info on Catalpa trees.

http://hickory.craigslist.org/grd/2937491487.html

 

[missouri massey man]

This link shows a pic of the worms on the tree leaves and has some info on Catalpa trees.

http://hickory.craigslist.org/grd/2937491487.html

Hmmmm.... ten bucks a gallon and here I'm just killing them willy nilly !!!

 

[Jim in NC]

http://hickory.craigslist.org/grd/2937491487.html[/url]

Hmmmm.... ten bucks a gallon and here I'm just killing them willy nilly !!![/quote:69hew43c]


I guess one never knows where a market for something will be. :?

 

[Mrs Harris]

This has been an interesting topic ... you never know what you will learn around here

 

[ky wonder]

the little cataba wasp does a good jodb on them around here i have 4 in my yard and people in line to get the worms when they come out

this photo shows a worm that has been used as a egg drop for the catawba wasp, the little white egg sacks are the wasp larva

 

[bettyp]

Don't think I want one of those trees in my yard.

 

[ky wonder]

Don't think I want one of those trees in my yard.

the catawba wasp are not like the normal wasp that builds nest like we see in our old barns and such

they are very small and reproduce by laying there eggs inside catepillars, and by the time the
white cocoons on the catepillars are visible the host catepillar is very near the end of its life.
the wasp larva has actually eaten it alive

actually they are good for your garden, natures insectiside

http://www.organicgardeninfo.com/braconid-wasp.html