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Home Garden Pest Control: Harmful Caterpillars

March 8th, 2010 Posted in Ornamental & Lawn Pests

Caterpillars are the beginning form of moths and butterflies. A caterpillar’s appearance and fuzzy exterior may make them seem harmless, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case.

Caterpillars like the Forest Tent Caterpillar, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar, and the Gypsy Moth are a nuisance for many species of trees and plants. Learning how to squash these pests can ensure longer lives for the trees and plants on your property.

Forest Tent Caterpillar
This species of caterpillar can be found throughout the woods of the United States and most of Canada. They eat almost any species of tree in the areas they frequent. The Forest Tent caterpillar prefers to feast mostly on broadleaved trees like sugar maple, aspens, and even oak.





Although they are referred to as Forest Tent caterpillars, they don’t really make a tent of webbing, but more of a silken mat of webbing. The multiple caterpillars feast on the trunk of the tree and congregate on these silken mats of webbing. These webs can help you identify if it is the Forest Tent caterpillar that is attacking the trees on your property.

High populations of theses caterpillars can cause your trees’ leaves and other foliage to slowly die. They eventually cocoon in these web tents and transform into moths.

Eastern Tent Caterpillar
The Eastern Tent caterpillar is a pest native to North America. They cause defoliation of trees (the stripping of leaves and other foliage from a tree) and also build unsightly silken nests made of web-like material. This pest is most active during the late spring and early summer, so be aware during these seasons.

Eastern Tent caterpillar eggs hatch around March when the buds on a tree begin to bloom. They feed on this foliage and congregate within their silky cocoons like webs. These caterpillars often eat foliage in the early morning, and then retreat back inside their tent the rest of the day.

The larvae are hairy caterpillars, black with a white stripe down their backs, brown and yellow lines along the sides, and a row of oval blue spots. It takes the caterpillars 4 to 6 weeks to fully grow to their full 2 1/2 inches.

Gypsy Moth
The caterpillars of the Gypsy Moth are one of the most destructive species of caterpillars out there. The Gypsy Moth was brought to the United States in 1869 to help revolutionize the silkworm industry. The moth escaped and have been living in the United States ever since.

During the last 100 years they have become a major pest in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Like most species of caterpillars, they damage the trees they live in and therefore, damage your property. Since these caterpillars eventually grow into moths, they feast mostly at night.

The Gypsy Moth caterpillar molts 5 or 6 times, increasing its appetite for your trees with each molt. Using EcoSMART’s organic insect killer is a better alternative for their control than using conventional chemical pesticides.

EcoSMART’s pesticide products are engineered to target the receptors only found in insects, leaving the environment, your pets, and your family protected. Why would you use any other method of control?