What kind of caterpillars live in Washington State?
Some Washington Caterpillars
Native Plant Host
Caterpillar/Butterfly Species
Kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus)
Salal (Gaultheria shallon)
Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus), Spring Azure (Celastrina echo)
Bitterbrush (Purshia tridentata)
Brown Elfin (Callophrys augustinus
How do I know what kind of caterpillar I have?Identifying Species. Look at the insect closely to see which color is most visible on its body. Decide whether the caterpillar’s body is mostly black, brown, gray/blue, green, red/orange, or yellow/white. This can help you narrow down the species and decide whether or not the caterpillar is safe to handle.
What caterpillars are poisonous in Washington state?The puss caterpillar, or woolly slug, is the most poisonous caterpillar in the United States.
What do Western tent caterpillars turn 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.
Table of Contents
What kind of caterpillars live in Washington State? – Additional Questions
Should I remove tent caterpillars?
It is useless to spray if the tent caterpillars have been allowed to feed and complete their development. Even so, removing the tent will eliminate the unsightliness of the tent itself. Tents are resistant to weather and will remain in the tree a long time unless they are removed.
Are tent caterpillars good for anything?
Although some people may find them unsightly, in most years tent caterpillars do not cause serious injury to their host plants and can even be beneficial to their environment by providing a food source for wildlife. Typically, tent caterpillars only defoliate a few branches and only actively feed for a few weeks.
Does a tent caterpillar turn into a butterfly?
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 are the stages of tent caterpillars?
After five to eight weeks of feeding, the larvae spin silken cocoons from mid-June to mid-July.The pupal stage is normally ten days.Adults emerge in mid to late July, mate and lay their eggs.Adults live for five to ten days.
Are tent caterpillars poisonous?
The caterpillars themselves are relatively harmless to people (i.e., they do not bite or sting) although a few people have an allergic reaction to handling them. Populations of forest tent caterpillars occasionally or periodically attain outbreak proportions.
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.
Can I touch a 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.
How do you keep tent caterpillars away?
To prevent tent caterpillars, the best defense can be a good offense. In the autumn, after the leaves have fallen, scout the branches of host trees for egg masses.Prune out any you find, or scrape them from the branches and destroy them.
What kind of trees do tent caterpillars like?
Eastern tent caterpillars prefer wild cherry, apple and crabapple. They also will feed on ash, birch, blackgum, redgum, willow, witch-hazel, maple, oak, poplar, cherry, peach and plum. The insect spends the winter as an egg. The eggs are laid in ring-like masses that encircle small twigs of the host plant.
How do I identify a tent caterpillar?
Adult tent caterpillars are reddish-brown moths with two white bars on their forewings. Their eggs overwinter in shiny, black egg masses that encircle twigs. Signs/Damage: Large, silky white webs in the forks of tree and shrub branches in early spring indicate tent caterpillars are present.
What causes caterpillar infestation?
The main reason you end up with caterpillars is because butterflies lay their eggs on or near your plants.
What eats tent worms?
Tent caterpillars are often controlled by natural enemies. Eggs, larvae, and pupae are killed by over 100 species of parasitic tachinid flies and wasps. Larvae are consumed by various predaceous beetles and bugs.
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.
How do I get rid of tent caterpillars with Dawn?
Spraying caterpillars with dish soap is another easy way to get rid of them quickly. The key to making a dish soap spray work is to not let the soap foam up to much. Fill the spray bottle up almost full with water, then add 1-2 tablespoons of dish soap per gallon of water. Then finish topping up the water.
Are tent caterpillars and gypsy moths the same?
The eastern tent caterpillar has a diagnostic solid white stripe down the back, while the forest tent caterpillar has a series of keyhole-shaped spots. The gypsy moth caterpillars are also hairy, but lack the white stripe down the back or the series of keyhole-shaped spots found on the tent caterpillars.
What do we call gypsy moths now?
The Lymantria dispar, an invasive moth that causes significant damage to trees in the eastern United States, will now be known as the “spongy moth.” Previously, the insect’s common name, “gypsy moth,” contained a racist term.
Are armyworms and tent caterpillars the same?
A native species found throughout the hardwood forests of North America, the Forest Tent Caterpillar is often wrongly called “armyworm” because of the way the caterpillars move around in mass. Armyworms are actually a different species.
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