Black Worms

Question

I have these black worms with long whitish strips eating my leaves, mostly on my oaks. You can go out at night and hear the leaves being destroyed. What are they and what can I do? I love my trees.

Answer 1

It sounds like a tent worm of some kind. But regardless of the type of caterpillar, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is effective on most caterpillars. Applying it should take care of the problem.