It's time to take the tree bands off of your trees now! The City of Charlotte is advising that the tree bands put up last Fall to protect the willow oaks from the dreaded cankerworm should be taken off early. 

The reason, according the Charlotte Observer, is beetle-related. The fiery searcher beetle, which can eat hundreds of caterpillars a day, can help reduce the caterpillar population this Spring even more. By taking the sticky bands off the trees now, this beetle can avoid getting caught up in the bands and instead can feast on Charlotte's willow tree nemesis.