This is just for information - the problem has gone away for now.
Every year we have an "invasion" of caterpillers that get on everything and then spin their cocoons in any location that suits their fancy (MMM should investigate the adhesive these things produce; it's diabolical.) This spring was especially troublesome as (as it turns out) we had a VERY mild winter and these critters are susceptible to the cold.
I checked around to try to find out what these things are and what their life cycle is. My best info source was a specialist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. He immediately identified the two species as Tussock Moth Caterpiller (Orgyia Detrita) and Forest Tent Caterpiller (Malacosoma Disstria).
Their life cycle is very similar. An adult female moth lays eggs, mainly in trees (they really seem to prefer oaks [live, water, etc.] which we have in abundance. As the eggs hatch in the spring the juvenile caterpillers begin to feast on the new leaf growth on the trees. This year they pretty much denuded several of our live oaks which has caused a lot of stress on them.
The caterpillers will drop off the trees (personal experience) and crawl around until its time for them to spin their cocoons. All of this takes place in a matter of a few weeks. The 'pillers transform in the cocoons into the moths and chew their way out of the cocoons to start the cycle over again.
There doesn't seem to be any cost-effective way to inhibit their life cycle; there's just too many of them and their eggs are hard to spot high up in the trees. We thought about spraying the caterpillers but again they're everywhere and it's cost prohibitive. Same goes for the cocoons.
We'd love to get comments and feedback from anybody who has experienced this mass invasion. Have you found any way to control them? Have your trees put out new growth or have you lost them? Any info would be helpful for next season.
Lauren
Every year we have an "invasion" of caterpillers that get on everything and then spin their cocoons in any location that suits their fancy (MMM should investigate the adhesive these things produce; it's diabolical.) This spring was especially troublesome as (as it turns out) we had a VERY mild winter and these critters are susceptible to the cold.
I checked around to try to find out what these things are and what their life cycle is. My best info source was a specialist in the Department of Entomology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. He immediately identified the two species as Tussock Moth Caterpiller (Orgyia Detrita) and Forest Tent Caterpiller (Malacosoma Disstria).
Their life cycle is very similar. An adult female moth lays eggs, mainly in trees (they really seem to prefer oaks [live, water, etc.] which we have in abundance. As the eggs hatch in the spring the juvenile caterpillers begin to feast on the new leaf growth on the trees. This year they pretty much denuded several of our live oaks which has caused a lot of stress on them.
The caterpillers will drop off the trees (personal experience) and crawl around until its time for them to spin their cocoons. All of this takes place in a matter of a few weeks. The 'pillers transform in the cocoons into the moths and chew their way out of the cocoons to start the cycle over again.
There doesn't seem to be any cost-effective way to inhibit their life cycle; there's just too many of them and their eggs are hard to spot high up in the trees. We thought about spraying the caterpillers but again they're everywhere and it's cost prohibitive. Same goes for the cocoons.
We'd love to get comments and feedback from anybody who has experienced this mass invasion. Have you found any way to control them? Have your trees put out new growth or have you lost them? Any info would be helpful for next season.
Lauren
