Cankerworm populations may go up this year, City of Regina says

Regina's trees may befacing an upcoming infestation of cankerworms and other pests and diseases.

According to fall and preliminary spring monitoring counts, numbers of cankerworms are on the rise.

"They are cyclical in nature," said Russel Eirich, manager of forestry, pest control and horticulture for the City of Regina.

He said the worst year in recent history for cankerworms was 2010.

"In those years, we had to spray something like 35,000 trees. Two years ago, we didn't have to spray anything ... We're just seeing a natural sort of cycle."

Cankerworms are defoliating insects that dodamage mostly in May and June.The city is asking Regina residents to wrap their trees in preparation.

Eirichpredicts tent caterpillar populations will be high, and in similar numbers to last year. Tent caterpillars also are a defoliating pest.

Eirichsaid tent caterpillars tend to go afterash trees. While you can wrap trees to protect them from cankerworms, there is no easy control method for tent caterpillars besides spraying.

"In an individual year, defoliation is going to hurt a tree. But if we see that over multiple years, it could actually kill the trees," said Eirich.