Cigar Tree Worms

Some people grow Cigar trees simply to acquire fish bait.

The Cigar tree, properly known as a Catalpa tree, is prone to frequent infestation by the Catalpa Sphinx moth. It is the caterpillar stage of the moth that is most frequently seen on the Cigar tree. Called Catalpa worms, these pests feed on the foliage of the tree.

Significance

The Catalpa worm infests only the Catalpa tree with all species of Catalpa vulnerable to attack. Although the worm, moth and tree are especially common in the southern U.S., their native region ranges from New York to Florida and as far west as Texas. The worm is especially attractive to fish and is highly-prized by fishermen as a bait. Before the Cigar worm dots the foliage of a Cigar tree, it has begun its life cycle by spending the winter in the foliage and litter of previously infested trees.

Life Cycle

The sphinx moths begin to appear shortly after the Catalpa tree fully bears its leaves. After mating, females lay eggs on the undersurface of leaves, with the eggs hatching within one week. The new caterpillars begin to feed on the leaves of the tree and often skeletonize much of the foliage. After feeding for a period, the Cigar worms enter the soil where they pupate -- transform -- into adults and a second, summer generation of moth and worms are produced.

Damage

Each generation of caterpillar exists for approximately three weeks, with several generations typically appearing throughout the growing season. It is the final generation in the fall that overwinters for spring. The annual feeding may completely defoliate a Cigar tree. While Catalpa trees tend to grow new leaves with relative ease, repeated damage and infestation over a succession of years is capable of killing the Cigar tree. The Catalpa worm is normally well-controlled by a wasp whose larvae kills young caterpillars.

Identification

The adult sphinx moth is rarely seen as it flies primarily at night. It carries a gray body with grayish-brown wings. The Cigar worms are white or light yellow when first hatched and boast a sort of black spine attached to their rear. As they mature, the Catalpa caterpillars maintain a wide variety of colors and stripes, with their bodies alternating from dark to pale and varying collections of spots and stripes adorning the larvae.

References

• Auburn University; The Catalpa Sphinx; L.L. Hyche; 1994