Maryland was inundated the last few years. Has the cool weather
delayed them? Ain't complaining but would like to know.

BroJack

(brojack) wrote:

Maryland was inundated the last few years. Has the cool weather
delayed them? Ain't complaining but would like to know.

Eastern Tent Caterpillars run in cycles. After you are inundated, the
natural enemies prosper and reduce the number. I am sure the winter
didn't help the tent caterpillars either. If you noticed tent
caterpillars with small white eggs or cocoons attached to their backs
last spring, these were parasitic wasps which will kill the caterpillars.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA
http://www.users.fast.net/~shenning

(brojack) expounded:

Maryland was inundated the last few years. Has the cool weather
delayed them? Ain't complaining but would like to know.

BroJack

Around here it isn't the tent caterpillars we're worried about, it's
the fall moth caterpillars and the canker worms. Already trees are
defoliated, and they've only had their leaves for a week or two!

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************

In article ,
says...
(brojack) expounded:

Maryland was inundated the last few years. Has the cool weather
delayed them? Ain't complaining but would like to know.

BroJack

Around here it isn't the tent caterpillars we're worried about, it's
the fall moth caterpillars and the canker worms. Already trees are
defoliated, and they've only had their leaves for a week or two!


I was wondering that same thing. We've got a few this year but nothing
compared to last year. I didn't know they came in cycles.

Fsplink expounded:

I was wondering that same thing. We've got a few this year but nothing
compared to last year. I didn't know they came in cycles.

We were in the middle of the peak for the cankerworms, then along came
those fall moths. Last fall/winter they were flying around like snow,
so we're in for a bad year, I fear. I've already started spraying my
cherry with BT.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************