Tent caterpillars

Gypsy moth, forest tent caterpillars, and Eastern tent caterpillars are often found feeding on the leaves of hardwood trees early in the summer.

Outside of using them for composting, worms just haven’t been on our radar. That is, until they invaded our Walnut tree (worm jerks!). So we sat down with our old friend Google and tried to find out exactly what was taking over our tree and how to make it stop. Were they web worms? Bag worms? Or the Eastern Tent Caterpillar? Find out the differences on each and how you can keep your trees in check after the jump.

Within the past few weeks there have been many an Eastern Caterpillar rescued from “certain death” by some of the hundreds of children visiting the Museum on field trips from various sc…

Eastern tent caterpillar populations naturally fluctuate from year to year, with large spring outbreaks occurring every several years. Caterpillar nests are commonly found on wild cherry, apple, and crabapple but may be found on hawthorn, maple, cherry, peach, pear, plum, and others as well.

Effective methods for getting rid of tent caterpillars in your trees and garden. Discover natural and environmentally friendly solutions to control and prevent tent caterpillar infestations.

View On Black Spotted this little guy on what I think was wild parsnip that is blooming now. He didn't look like much until I put on my magnifying lens. I took a look at him close up and went "WOW!" The colors on these guys just amaze me.

Think you have tent caterpillars? Learn how to identify these critters, what damage they cause, and the best ways to get rid of them.

Distributed throughout North America, tent caterpillars multiply rapidly and can defoliate a large number of deciduous trees and shrubs in a short time.

Malacosoma americana. Rock Creek Park, Washington, DC, USA. 17 May 2014.

Bad news for your trees if you don't get rid of them. They return to their web at night. That's when you take it off the tree and burn the web with them in it.