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Forest and Western Tent Caterpillars - Malacosma
disstria   Scott Tunnock,
USDA Forest Service, www.ipmimages.org
Ronald F. Billings, Texas Forest Service,www.ipmimages.org
 HOSTS: Ash, elm, cottonwood, aspen, willow, birch, various fruit trees
and hardwoods. DESCRIPTION:
Small
larvae are black with long hairs and feed gregariously. Mature larvae
are dark brown with bluish heads and blue-black sides. There is a row
of whitish or yellowish keyhole-shaped spots on the back with patches
of fine orange lines. Mature larvae feed singly. LIFE
CYCLE: Tent
caterpillars overwinter as eggs in a ring-shaped mass encircling small
twigs. Larvae hatch when leaves begin to unfold and feed gregariously
for 5-6 weeks. They form silken mats on trunks or branches when they
rest during the day. Pupation takes place in mid summer inside cocoons
formed on folded leaves, in bark crevices, or other sheltered sites.
Moths emerge in late summer and females lay egg masses. CONTROLS:
There are
many insect and bird predators. Remove and destroy nests. Bt is
effective on young larvae (< ¾”). See Bacillus thuringiensis. |
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