Eastern tent caterpillars are an issue for most homeowners because they eat the leaves of several popular decorative landscaping plants.
Early spring sees the caterpillar’s emergence. They are almost 2 inches long in their last instar and have noticeable hairs running down the sides of their bodies. A white stripe runs down the backs of the black larvae to identify them. Along the sides, irregular bands of brown and yellow are interspersed with blue oval specks.
After three weeks, Malacosoma americanum moths emerge from their cocoons. They lack vivid colors and have an almost drab appearance, like many moths. When seen closely, two parallel cream lines can be seen across the tan or reddish-brown wings.
Host plant:
Cherry, crabapple, and apple trees are this pest’s favored hosts.
Territory:
The eastern tent caterpillar may be found in southern Canada, the Rocky Mountains, and the eastern United States. North America’s native bug is called Malacosoma americanum.
Damages caused by Eastern Tent Caterpillar:
The eastern tent caterpillar occasionally affects other deciduous ornamental shrubs, shade, and forest trees. The caterpillars are irritating while looking for food or a spot to spin their cocoons, and their silky tents on landscape trees are ugly. Although the caterpillars gather in their webs at night and during inclement weather, they do not feed there. When caterpillars are plentiful, they typically consume every leaf on a tree, weakening it but seldom killing it. Within three feet of the nest, the leaves on the host tree may be peeled off every twig.
Life history and Habits:
About three weeks later, the adult moth breaks out of the cocoon. The moth is reddish-brown with two faint stripes across each, forewing in a diagonal pattern. Female moths start laying eggs on tiny branches after mating. Each year, there is just one generation. A huge colony of caterpillars made up of individuals from two or more egg masses is possible. The caterpillars stay inside the tent whether it’s hot outside or raining. When it’s not too chilly, they come out in the early morning, evening, or at night to munch on leaves. The larvae are hairy caterpillars with brown and yellow lines along the sides, a row of oval blue dots, and a black back with a white stripe. The length of the web increases as the larvae eat the leaves, reaching a foot or more. A mass of 150 to 400 eggs serves as the overwintering habitat for the eastern tent caterpillar. These masses enclose branches hardly larger than a pencil and are coated in a lustrous, black varnish-like substance.
