FIRST there were locusts, then mosquitoes and spiders: now it is the turn of elm beetles and cedar moth caterpillars to attack Wagga.Scores of elm and cedar trees around the city are being stripped of their leaves by the voracious insects.Some trees have already been stripped bare.Wagga City Council's manager of parks and recreation, David Walker, said the wet weather had caused an explosion in the number of these insects."It's been a bad year because the wet weather has enhanced insect growth," Mr Walker said.The effect of the cedar moth caterpillar is quite noticeable in Docker Street just south of the intersection with Dobbs Street, while golden elms in Galing Place at Wiradjuri are suffering, Mr Walker said.The good news is that the loss of leaves will not kill the trees.He said council would not try to kill the cedar moth caterpillars."We have thousands of cedar trees," Mr Walker said."It (the caterpillars) might be a problem for one or two years, and then it will die down."He said council had about 500 golden elm trees as street trees and over the next 10 years they would be progressively replaced."It's a species we will not persevere with," Mr Walker said.He said the Chinese elm variety, which council plants a lot of, was not affected by the beetle.Mr Walker said the major English elms in the Victory Memorial Gardens, Collins Park and Botanic Gardens were also not as susceptible to the elm beetle as the golden elm.Ironically, Tumut's elm beetle problem was not bad this year, said the shire council's parks and property officer, Brad Beed.He said the high rainfall recently had made the town's famous elms more robust against attack compared to how they fared during the drought.Tumbarumba Shire Council's director of environmental services, Russell Boyd, also said the elm beetle was not a major problem in his shire this year.