Symptoms:

The mother moth lays eggs either singly or in clusters on leaves. On hatching, the caterpillars (usually slender, pale green with dark bands) feed gregariously by scraping on leaf surface. Soon they web together the tender shoots and leaves, that appear like a nest of webbed leaves from distance. After flowering, the inflorescence may also be webbed along with leaves.  As a consequence of severe feeding, clusters of webbed leaves become dry. The infested trees present a sickly appearance and can be seen from a distance due to the brown, dried, clustered webs.  With severe infestation, even the shoots become dry and photosynthesis is severely hampered.

Control

1. Pruning and burning of existing webs along with larvae/ pupae is effective as presence of webs attract more webber moths into the orchard.
2. In case of severe incidence, spraying of quinolphos 2.5 mL/L after pruning will effectively controls the pest.