Caterpillar outbreak

[frozentripper]

Southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan esp heavily infested where reports say property owners are using shovels for removal. Other infested areas in a quick google include Northern Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal and the NE USA.

I haven't had the pleasure of camping in the middle of a tent caterpillar outbreak yet where there would be millions of them crawling everywhere... during past outbreaks walking some forest roads and hearing the frass (droppings) raining down from the leaves above was enough.

Could be slippery going too, squashed caterpillar guts.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/tent-worms-cankerwoms-invade-canada-1.4164334

 

[yellowcanoe]

Nothing here at all.. I do remember the onslaught of the gypsy moths and when it rained their poop was a slippery covering over the flagstone patio. That was in NJ and as we haven't lived there in 35 years I don't know the current state.

I have enough trouble right now with pine pollen.. All over everything including cars and outdoor furniture.

OK FT that is way way too many caterpillars.

 

[Odyssey]

There's a rail trail that starts one city block from our door and heads off in 3 directions. But being lazy and crazy I choose instead to drive to a favourite spot along the trail and cycle that 40 km section. Over the past several rides we've encountered a sci-fi scene of many thousands of caterpillars hanging from threads suspended from trees overhanging the trail. At first it was pretty cool plucking off these wriggly little hitchhikers as we pedalled (with mouths closed), but their numbers have exploded making plucking a squirmy wormy eeeeewww experience; and they're getting bigger and plumper. They get in your helmet, in your hair, on your face, under your shirt, down your arms and...did you know their guts are green? My wife went psycho as we stopped at a bench, picking off many dozens of alien invaders from outer space. Did you know they can hold on really well with their tiny feet? Makes sense given all the climbing they do. It seems our clothing offers an ideal hold for busy little caterpillar feet. And did you know they're fragile? Yeah, if you're not careful when you pull firmly to loosen their grip they break. They break into a squidgy squirty pulp. I'm only exaggerating a little when I say my wife's eyes rolled back, her head spun round three times and flames shot out of her nose before she dropped the f-bomb "This better #@* not stain!" I'm not sure if she was a tad riled at me or the worms from outer space. What the heck, I'm not their leader. None of this was my fault. I've been persuaded to choose another section of trail this week.

These are not the "tent caterpillars" invading spaces elsewhere in the country. We get those too, but like population numbers in ecology they fluctuate. Boom years turn into bust years, as food becomes limited and prey become fat. If you and your trees can survive an outbreak this season you'll probably be home-free next year. It'll be another few years before their numbers swell again to sci-fi proportions. Oh, and the good news is they don't stain your clothes. Well, not my wife's anyway, and those are the only ones that matter.

ps Shoulda seen the flames man. She's pretty cute when she does that.

 

[red langford]

We've gone through 3 years of that here. Gross and fascinating but non destructive. Best thing is they don't bite.

 

[riverstrider]

We had a bad gypsy moth caterpillar infestation last year. 75 percent of the State was defoliated. This year looked to be just as bad or worse (and in some spots it has been), but a very wet spring has seemed to slow them down a little and allowed the spread of the Bacillus thuringensis bacteria that ultimately knocks the population back down to size. I know at my house there are still plenty, but not like last year. Last year I had to clean my gutters out of leaf litter and dead caterpillars twice over the summer to prevent blocked drains.

We've never had bad issues with tent caterpillars. They defoliate the random cherry or other fruit tree and that is about it. Of course, I didn't realize the difference in species as a kid in the 1980's during the last big gypsy moth breakout in the state, and as a friend of mine and I tried to do our little part to save the forest, administering a death sentence via cremation by burning tent caterpillar nests, we accidentally started a minor forest conflagration. Umm, oops. Oh crap, here comes the fire department! Hide the gas!

-rs