The pesky eastern tent caterpillars will soon be hatching (in some places they may have hatched already). These caterpillars are most fond of cherry and flowering crabs. They can defoliate an entire small tree. They build large, ugly tents in branch crotches were they will hang out during the evening hours. When they first hatch out they are very small, indistinct caterpillars. They will immediately begin feeding on the newly emerging leaves. They are most susceptible to chemical control methods when they are small. The larger they get, the fewer the control options. You should never burn out the tents. Burning can cause damage to the cambium layer in the are burned. This can actually be more damaging to the tree than the caterpillars feeding on the leaves. The photo here you can see "mature" caterpillars in a large tent. For more information on eastern tent caterpillar go to Bradford County Extension Natural Resources Website, Click on the Forestry Resources link and and then scroll to the photo of eastern tents. Click on the photo and you will be taken to a helpful publication. You can also listen to a podcast about eastern tent caterpillars. At the natural resources website, click on the podcast, Northeast Pennsylvania Forests. Then click on the Eastern Tent Caterpillars title. For more specific control information call the Penn State Extension office nearest you.
