What is an eastern tent caterpillar?
The eastern tent caterpillar ( Malacosoma americanum) is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae, the tent caterpillars or lappet moths. It is univoltine, producing one generation per year. It is a tent caterpillar, a social species that forms communal nests in the branches of trees.
Do tent caterpillars turn into moths?
Tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum) turn into adult moths. The caterpillar is yellow with a brownhead and has a row of blue spots on its back, followed by a row of red spots. It also has a pair of long black hairs on each side of the body that protrudes from the skin when the caterpillar is disturbed.
What does a tent caterpillar egg look like?
The eastern tent caterpillar overwinters as an egg, within an egg mass of 150 to 400 eggs. These masses are covered with a shiny, black varnish-like material and encircle branches that are about pencil-size or smaller in diameter. Figure 2. Eastern tent caterpillar egg masses are wrapped around small twigs.
How long does it take for tent caterpillars to hatch?
Tent caterpillars are among the most social of larvae. The adult moth lays her eggs in a single batch in late spring or early summer. An egg mass contains about 200 to 300 eggs. Embryogenesis proceeds rapidly, and within three weeks, fully formed caterpillars can be found within the eggs.
Do eastern tent caterpillars turn into butterflies?
Like all butterflies and moths, eastern tent caterpillars undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages: Egg - The female oviposits 200–300 eggs in late spring. Larva - Caterpillars develop in just a few weeks, but remain quiescent in the egg mass until the following spring, when new leaves appear.
What do tent caterpillars grow into?
All tent caterpillars turn into rather nondescript moths. Eastern and Western Tent caterpillar moths are a plain reddish brown color with blurred white stripes across the front wings. Forest tent caterpillars moths are similar but have wide brown bands.
What kind of moth does an eastern tent caterpillar turn into?
An adult male eastern tent moth. The adult moth emerges from the cocoon about 3 weeks later. The moth is reddish-brown with two pale stripes running diagonally across each forewing. Moths mate and females begin to lay eggs on small branches.
Should I get rid of eastern tent caterpillar?
Eastern tent caterpillars (Malacosoma americanum), or tent worms, are more of an eyesore or slight nuisance rather than an actual threat. However, getting rid of tent caterpillars is occasionally necessary.
Do tent caterpillars turn into gypsy moths?
The tent gradually increases in size as the larva mature. Staying together in the tent allows the caterpillars to conserve heat, elevate their body temperature in order to grow more quickly during cool spring weather. The adults emerge as moths from their cocoons in late spring or early summer and then mate.
What kind of butterfly comes from a tent caterpillar?
The eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae, the tent caterpillars or lappet moths. It is univoltine, producing one generation per year....Eastern tent caterpillarClass:InsectaOrder:LepidopteraFamily:LasiocampidaeGenus:Malacosoma10 more rows
Can you touch an eastern tent caterpillar?
So, are they dangerous? Some caterpillars, like the flannel moth caterpillar, have pain-inducing, fur-like spines. On the other hand, touching the forest tent caterpillar's fuzzy exterior may be irritating to those with a sensitivity, but is generally harmless. They don't bite, either.
Are tent caterpillars and webworms the same?
Fall webworm webs can be found on the ends of tree branches. Your customers may think that bagworms, webworms and Eastern tent caterpillars are all names for the same insect, but it's your job to know the difference and educate clients on when these web-weaving worms are a threat to their landscape.
Do birds eat eastern tent caterpillars?
Bird Predators Robins, blue jays, red-winged blackbirds and cardinals all eat tent caterpillars. When the caterpillars crawl to the ground to pupate, they are also picked off by ground dwelling birds such as wild turkeys. If they fall out of the tree over water, they may also be consumed by ducks and fish.
What do you do with eastern tent caterpillars?
Kill caterpillars knocked from the tree or crawling around the home by crushing them or placing them in a bucket of warm, soapy water. Sweep up the dead caterpillars and dispose of them. Biological control. Beneficial insects can reduce tent caterpillar populations.
Are eastern tent caterpillars invasive?
While sometimes confused with the non-native invasive Gypsy Moth, the Eastern Tent Caterpillar is a native species to Nantucket and the northeast. As such, it has evolved with a series of checks and balances to live in this ecosystem.
Are tent caterpillars harmful to trees?
Tent caterpillars aren't usually a significant threat to healthy, mature trees. They do strip away some of the trees' leaves and weave unpleasant looking webs, but that's the worst of their damage. But, there are two exceptions: black cherry trees and young trees are extremely vulnerable to tent caterpillars.
Overview
The eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) is a species of moth in the family Lasiocampidae, the tent caterpillars or lappet moths. It is univoltine, producing one generation per year. It is a tent caterpillar, a social species that forms communal nests in the branches of trees. It is sometimes confused with the gypsy moth and the fall webworm, and may be erroneously referred to as a b…
Social behavior
Tent caterpillars are among the most social of larvae. The adult moth lays her eggs in a single batch in late spring or early summer. An egg mass contains about 200 to 300 eggs. Embryogenesis proceeds rapidly, and within three weeks, fully formed caterpillars can be found within the eggs. The small caterpillars lie quiescent until the following spring, when they chew their way out of the eggs j…
Tents and temperature
The tent of this species is among the largest built by any tent caterpillar. It is constructed in the crotch of the host tree and is typically oriented with the broadest wall facing the southeast to take advantage of the morning sun. The caterpillars typically add silk to the surface of the structure at the onset of each of their daily activity periods. The silk is laid down under slight tension and it e…
Feeding
Tent caterpillars secrete silk from a spinneret wherever they go, and frequently-used pathways soon bear conspicuous silk trails. As the caterpillars move about the tree, they largely confine their movements to these trails. They lay down pheromones along the trails by dragging their abdomens. Caterpillars that find food may overmark the exploratory trails they follow back to the tent, creating r…
Spread
The species is found in the eastern Nearctic region of the northern United States and southern Canada in wooded areas.
Pest status
The eastern tent caterpillar is of some importance as a pest because it defoliates ornamental trees. Damaged trees, however, typically recover and refoliate within several weeks.
Toxicity
The eastern tent caterpillar is toxic to horses. It has been linked to mare reproductive loss syndrome in horses, but the exact mechanism by which the caterpillar triggers abortion has yet to be determined. Experimental studies have shown that when pregnant mares are fed eastern tent caterpillars, they abort. The caterpillars of this species often feed on the highly cyanogenic black cherry tree (Prunus serotina) and the mares were originally thought to abort in response to the cy…
External links
• Bagworm, Fall Webworm or Eastern Tent Caterpillar? August 18, 2001. Sandra Mason, University of Illinois Extension. Accessed May 31, 2010. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014, at the Wayback Machine.
• Terrence D. Fitzgerald: The eastern tent caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum)