Help Identifying New Growth Eating Web Pest

I've been searching in the the bugfiles but don't see an exact match to the pest that is killing the new growth on my plants. On the tips of a number of my plants where the new growth is, there is what looks like a web of some sort. Not a spider web more like those catepillar webs you see in trees, only very small, no more then 2 or so nches across. If I brush off the web, the new growth underneath is dead, it looks like it's been sucked dry of any moisture. I never see bugs in the webs.

The webs are showing up on my smoke tree, clematis, columbine and a few others.

I've been hosing the plants off that have this but I would like to try and identify what's killing the new growth.

Thanks in advance.

Check for spider mites....this sounds a lot like what they do. Are the leaves looking like there are white spots in them? Try taking a white sheet of paper, place it under a few leaves and shake hard. If it is mites you will see them although they are very tiny. They are especially bad when the weather is dry. Your county ag. agent can help you identify also but, they need to see the actual leaves with the damage. If you decide to use a pesticide make sure you get the underside of the leaves where they are worst. You can try Safer soap, non-toxic if preferred.

Thanks, bugme. I've heard of this treatment but never used it. It's simply a little bit of dish soap in water, correct? You then wash the leaves with this and leave it on?

MtnGardener, NO, Safer is a commercial product that can be bought in ready-to-spray or in a concentrate. You were going in the right direction by spraying with water, however, once there is a severe infestation you need the "big guns". Good luck with it.