ON THE MOVE: You see them everywhere this time of year. Those
furry little caterpillars crossing the road, the sidewalk, the
lawn.[neWLine]
These are the Eastern tent caterpillars and we’re telling you
about them for a reason. Don’t kill them![neWLine]
Many people believe these harmless creatures are the gypsy moth
caterpillar which can cause incredible amounts of damage to our
forests.[neWLine]
John E. Sidelinger, assistant district forester, Elk State
Forest, Emporium, tells us this Eastern tent caterpillars may be
“”unsightly”” but it seldom causes mortality in ornamentals. Most
trees or shrubs that are defoliated usually releaf and are able to
survive.[neWLine]
How do you know you’re looking at a tent
caterpillar?[neWLine]
Several ways: They are black with irregular blue and white
mottling. The white markings appear to form a stripe down the back
of the caterpillar. The forest tent caterpillar is similar in
appearance except that it has a series of keyhole-shaped spots
along the back.[neWLine]
The easiest way to identify this insect, however, is to look for
its conspicuous “”web”” or “”tent”” among the branches of small
trees in yards, fields or along the edge of the woods.[neWLine]
Tent caterpillar eggs hatch in early spring at about the same
time the trees are beginning to show green, and web construction
begins soon after the eggs hatch.[neWLine]
The nest can be unsightly; webs or tents are built in the crotch
of a tree, usually wild cherry, apple, crabapple, hawthorne or
other member of the apple family. The caterpillars use the webs for
shelter and retreat to them during very hot weather or heavy
rain.[neWLine]
They emerge from the webs and crawl up the branches and out the
twigs to feed on the leaves. When the leaves of “”their”” tree are
consumed the caterpillars will move en masse in search of another
source of food.[neWLine]
Caterpillars feed for four to six weeks or until they are about
two inches in length. This is usually about the last week of May or
first week of June.[neWLine]
In the following weeks, caterpillars leave the web in search of
a suitable place to pupate. When adults emerge, they mate and lay
eggs – starting the cycle all over again.
