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Tent Caterpillars

Name: Tent Caterpillars

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Lepidoptera

Family: Lasiocampidae

Subfamily: Lasiocampinae

Genus: Malacosoma

Habitat:

Tent caterpillars construct tents of silk on one or more branches of a tree.

Food:

The caterpillars feed during the day on deciduous trees, and at night, they return to the tent for protection.

Method of Travel:

Crawling

Prevention:

  • Inspect plants regularly for signs of caterpillar infestation and spray immediately if you see caterpillars.
  • Prune trees in late fall or early spring to keep populations low.

Steps to control:

  • Begin control at night when groups of caterpillars will be gathered together inside a tent. Cut the tent open and hand pick the caterpillars from the tree.
  • Remove egg masses by scraping the clusters with a knife.
  • Good, long lasting, low-toxic methods of insect control can be done with Knock Down products.
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