Caterpillars doing a number on Trees

[mobees]

It's been a busy year and I have had to travel allot around New England.
I saw a guy last 2 weeks ago spraying a tree in his front yard. I went over
and checked it out these little green caterpillars had almost stripped the leaves bare. Since then I have been traveling around and everywhere the little buggers
are just gobbling up leaves on everything. I am really worried about the basswood and some other nectar trees. They seem to love maple and Oak. Also I am worried they may start a spray which could be a disaster. You can hear the crunching in the trees at night and their little black dropping sound like a light rain.

[Ann]

What part of MA were you traveling in? I live in southeast MA and have been marveling at the lack of holes in leaves! It seems as though the caterpillar plague is over around here, thankfully. I've got a weeping cherry out front that hasn't been touched.....yet.

[Jeffzhear]

The tent caterpillars are working overtime around here. I have been busting open their nests with a stick in the evenings in an effort to freeze them out. Last night we had a hard frost, and according to the thermometer it was a mere 33 degrees. Of course, the nests up high are way out of my reach, but I do my part to the lower nests...

[bjerm2]

Try going to this site. I have found this stuff to work real well on all types of caterpillers. The do not eat very much after exposure and are dead in a few days. I have placed it also on cabage and the cterpillers would tak one or two bite and stop feeding. Same with the tent caterpillers. I have been luck in keeping them down with this stuff.

http://www.gardensalive.com/product.asp?pn=8797&bhcd2=1179858439

Dan

[beaglady]

If you can stand the smell, the caterpillar nests are pretty easy to burn with a propane torch.

[dickm]

Try BT. The same stuff Sundance was selling for wax moth.

dickm