The eastern tent caterpillar ( Malacosoma americanum ) is common sight in landscape and wood during leaping and early summer with their trademark white tents found in the crooks of sure trees . A native North American cuss , it ’s ( not amazingly ) find in the easterly half of the United States all the mode to the Rocky Mountains and due north into southern portions of Canada .
An avid leaf eater , this cat can be a bothersome pest that can wholly defoliate its favored emcee trees , include native and domesticate varieties of apple , cherry , peach , pear , hawthornand crabapples , when infestations are severe . When their preferred food sources become depleted , the cat will often shift their focus to other aboriginal hardwood in their range .
In the spring , the eggs of the eastern tent caterpillar will hatch and begin feeding on leaf . They will rapidly begin creating a white tent or nest made of silk - like material that will shelter the caterpillars from predators and the elements . These tents are build in their horde tree , allowing them to feed and find shelter all in the same place . The location of these tent in the crotch of Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree branches helps make out them from fall webworm or bagworms , two caterpillar metal money they ’re usually discombobulate with .
easterly tent caterpillars will hand between 2 and 2½ inches in length when fully grown . Their long physical structure is haired and typically tan - colored , with a white stripe running down the center of the back and a row of bright - blue oval shaped smear on each side of the body . After arise to their full size , the caterpillar will shortly pull up stakes the nest and spin around a cocoon . In three or four week , a red - brown adult moth will issue from the cocoon and chop-chop assay a mate to begin the cycles/second again .
Feedings by these pest caterpillars can nearly defoliate master of ceremonies tree if a thick population is present . Iftrees are healthy , they ’ll often outlive this damage and bear on out new leaf . But tree that may already be punctuate from disease or other environmental issues , like drouth , can be destroyed by such a defoliation event . This is especially true of newly planted fruit trees in your landscape ororchard .
The best organic control where feasible is to root out the tent and the larva by hand or by using a long stick to wind up the silk and captivate the caterpillars within . Attempt forcible remotion endeavor in the early good morning or even when most of the caterpillars are still shelter in the collapsible shelter . There are also effective constituent spray that will help manipulate caterpillar feeding on your orchard or landscape painting trees . The best spraying contain the dynamic organic ingredientspinosad , which is spray straight onto the foliage of host plants .
