Tent Caterpillars

Not normally a tractor related subject but this morning I actually had a few tent caterpillars come into the 2090 cab on my coveralls. I have never seen such an infestation. Its like a horror movie. The many acres of native poplar bush here on the farm are pretty near stripped bare by these leaf eating pests. Webs hang from the branches and caterpillars crawl everywhere. Even in the stubble field. By the time I was well into spraying the weeds there were caterpillars on the boom of the sprayer. They survived the 6 mile bumpy ride home and far as I know are still crawling around on the frame.

There go the apple trees!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They are bad here too. Last year they were in all the oaks in the forest. You take a walk through the woods in August and it looked just like it does in March beacuse so much of the foliage was stripped.

Not starting out good this year either.

Well you can thank the bunny huggers and the not in my back yard
crowd. They use Seven and some other sprays that shut down the
Caterpillar stomachs. Then every one starts hootin and hollerin if
they spray. Around my place i use one of those weed flamer things that
screws onto a propaine tank. Just flame their nests. They snap and pop
real good. I 5hink it was like 1986 or so they hada horrendous
infestation from central to western Pennsylvania. You could drive for
miles and miles along the PA Turnpike and the woods looked like winter
time. Not a leaf to be seen. Killed hundreds of thousands of trees.
Another time in south jersey we had a pretty bad season and when I
stopped at the local VW dealer they were walking from the woods in an
army invasion line. They crossed the back parking lot, up the back of
the service shop, down the front, across the used car lot, and out
into the four lane RT 130. Boy was that road ever a mess of glop !

I was surprised yesterday watching the birds
bring them in for the babies i didn't think
they liked them .

I like to go out in the morning when it is cold. Most will be in the web.
I use a can of WD40 and a lighter. Spray the web good and then hit with flame.
Sometimes I use the WD40 as a flame thrower to get to those farther away

It cycles...bad years...good years. Not sure why. They are a nuisance but not deadly. I can't think of a single reason
to blame this cycle on a political party....but I bet others can.

(quoted from post at 14:08:02 05/31/17) I like to go out in the morning when it is cold. Most will be in the web.
I use a can of WD40 and a lighter. Spray the web good and then hit with flame.
Sometimes I use the WD40 as a flame thrower to get to those farther away

Click to expand...

They are way beyond that here. I had my truck parked on the edge of the woods this afternoon while picking rocks. When I got back to it the tires were coated. I noticed the mud flaps were coated with dead ones. They are all over the ground. Trees hang with webs. I have never seen them this thick.

My guineas and Muscovey ducks love them.

Oh, sheesh! That's awful!

I'd be hidin' in the house.

(quoted from post at 19:22:14 05/31/17)

(quoted from post at 14:08:02 05/31/17) I like to go out in the morning when it is cold. Most will be in the web.
I use a can of WD40 and a lighter. Spray the web good and then hit with flame.
Sometimes I use the WD40 as a flame thrower to get to those farther away

Click to expand...

They are way beyond that here. I had my truck parked on the edge of the woods this afternoon while picking rocks. When I got back to it the tires were coated. I noticed the mud flaps were coated with dead ones. They are all over the ground. Trees hang with webs. I have never seen them this thick.

Click to expand...

e have them that bad or worse up here in Northern Alberta every 9 to 11 years ,sometimes 2 years in a row, they strip thousands of acres of trees bare to the bone.Good thing they don't eat grass or the livestock would starve to death. The roads are slick with the dead critters
.

(quoted from post at 21:46:31 05/31/17)

mg]

Click to expand...

e have them that bad or worse up here in Northern Alberta every 9 to 11 years ,sometimes 2 years in a row, they strip thousands of acres of trees bare to the bone.Good thing they don't eat grass or the livestock would starve to death. The roads are slick with the dead critters
.

Click to expand...

They were pretty numerous here last year too but I don't recall them this thick.Working in the bush they would drop down on me and be crawlilng all over my coveralls. Good thing I don't have a phobia about creepy crawlers. Amazing how the trees survive such an attack.

I have a memory from when I was a kid of the picnic table in our yard just being alive with them- completely covering it. But that was 60 years ago, and other than a bad infestation on one cherry tree in
about '86, haven't really had them bad since. Always a few tents on a few trees, but no population explosion. Don't know why.

Nice to see Bison check in- we don't hear much from him anymore. How's everything going in the Far North these days?

Last year I pulled the nests out of the brush along our road. When the ice cream bucket was full, I would dump it on the black top and do a happy dance. This year i have only seen a few nests. I think I may have impacted the local population, but only time will tell.