Tent Caterpillers?

[cshenk]

Lovely. The neighbors tree is badly infested. We use an umbrella to walk in my back yard just now. Any ideas?

[LouB]

I think those are going to be gypsy moths next year:-((((

[cshenk]

Nope, wrong critter but a little close in looks at caterpiller stage. Gypsy ones don't make a tent in the tree, and have red and blue dots. Tent types have a white stripe and red dots and live in little tents they make all about the tree. They make a different moth and one that isnt particularily the same in looks.

Tent caterpillers are ugly on trees, but normally do not damage the tree unless an infestation is allowed to go for years. This case, is a 3rd year with treatment first 2 but new owner this year didnt do anything.

I think I need a powerwasher/sprayer at last. Estimate 60ft tree. Get neighbor permission and use the simple organic soap which kills this stuff and is for residential use (kids and pet safe). But, I have to think this out. I dont know how to get enough water pressure into something like that to hit 60ft up from ground level.

[Han]

"cshenk" wrote in news:YaTqm.23362$ [e-mail]:

Must be something about the tree (or the environment) that make ths tree especially appetizing to the caterpillars. If I am not mistaken, it is the type of tree they like, and usually the infestation comes and goes, one year very bad, the next not so bad. Have you asked the local Cooperative Extension for advice?

[Phisherman]

Break up the tents with a long pole and let the birds eat the caterpillars. You may need to break up the nests a few times, but it is effective. The problem using an insecticide is that you may end up in a toxic mist.

[norminn]

I remember reading long ago that the preferred method was to torch the bags (called "bag worms" in Indiana). I googled and found a couple of reliable discussions for treating infestations:

Both of these mention "microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis". Sounds like a job for an arborist if the infestation continues.

[Jim Yanik]

"cshenk" wrote in news:aLSqm.23055$ [e-mail]:

BT;Bacillus thuringiensis. It's very selective and harmless to other beneficial organisms.

How to get it up into your neighbor's tree is another matter. Maybe use a leaf blower? feed the dust into the air intake and blow it up so it drifts onto the tree.(when the neighbors are out somewhere....)

[cshenk]

"Han" wrote "cshenk" wrote

Well, neighbor out there trying to hose off his roof a bit. Seems you cant walk in his front door without caterpillars dropping on you.

I did so research and will bring him by some printouts. There's a soap that can be put in a powerwasher and he'll get one. Safe for his garden (he grows grapes and some side things like i do), safe for his kids, safe for my dog. He's gonna get ahold of his next door neighbor and get permission to stand on his shed to reach that side. He can get most from his own roof. The rest, he should be able to reach from my roof and his own side shed.

Next door neighbor on his other side will get treated too, but we have to be careful. He's getting all pissy that the caterpillars hit his tree for the first time and instead of working *with* us all, he's all about blame. I told him he's a knothead and i've had to treat his tree from across my fence for tree spiders every year.

What's actually humourous here is i am the only one who is basically treeless. I have 1 flowering pear (front yard, not affected), 1 holly bush (we chop it back to 4-5ft annually), and some boxwoods (3ft or so tall). The one who's most angry is the one who doesnt care at all if his problem impinges me, but is outraged that this new owner didnt know to treat the tree in his first year and had an explosion and is now just asking for help. The one providing the help, is little ol' me, the one with no trees in the back yard ;-)

So, plan is print out the specs for the 'soap' of the right type and how/when to treat and pass to him, then drag out the ladder and help best as I can when he's ready to try it.

Preferred namebrands of the soap type would be good. Preferrably something a Lowes or such would have in stock.

[Bob F]

IIRC, tent caterpillars go in a 7 year cycle. None, then a few then more .... Finally there are enough that a parasitic wasp that lays its eggs in them gets abundant enough that they almost all get killed off.

BT is the spray of choice for these.

[cshenk]

Not that useful when dealing with a roughly 60ft high, 40ft wide Hickory. ;-) The worst spots are at the very top.

I googled and found a couple of

Pretty much same I used. Then bulletin 504 and printed out the stuff relevant for the backyard neighbor. Good soul there. I just passed it to him across the fence.

Between kids and pets, we are going to try multiple 'soap' type pesticides. This has to hit high and there will be much wind drift so we can't use anything that might cause a problem to others. Dense residential area. 1/4 acre or so plots. LOTS of TREES. The main reason why we dont have one, is all the neighbors do so close to us, we cant really get one in edgewise except the one and only flowering pear (grin).

Funny aspect of backyard neighbor. He's got a tree growing *on* the property line of his backyard. The fence has a little boxy thing around it then it continues on. Predates both current owners of that house, and back to a kindler gentler time.

[cshenk]

"Phisherman" wrote

;-) I really wanna see that 60ft pole! The birds are waddling away as it is just from the grass fallen ones.

You are right though on the toxic mist. We decided to first try the soap versions.

[cshenk]

Interesting! In fact, now that you mention wasps, it's the first year I havent seen any.

BTW, didnt mention it but this isnt the normal tree type for this. It's a hickory. The nuts arent ready to eat yet and the squirrels get most of them, but we can crop up a good bucketful when we want from the back yard.

[E Z Peaces]

Black bears. They'll eat the squirrels and the tent caterpillars.

[Frank]

Mine are too high to reach too. I've begun a Sevin spraying program for my Chinese chestnuts to keep free of worms from weevils and have hit adjacent English walnuts full of tents. I've only seen one caterpillar so Sevin must be wiping them out.

[aemeijers]

[e-mail] wrote: (snip)

I remember that from growing up in southern Indiana! Thought it was gross at the time, and wondered why they whole tree didn't burn down. They would use soaked rags on a stick, or even tie a propane torch to a stick. Not sure how they did the tall trees.

I wonder how much good a pellet gun would do, or a leaf blower with a skinny pipe on the end.

-- aem sends...

[Steve Barker]

about what?

[Gene Jackson]

HD or lowes sells a nozzle that you can attach to a length of PVC piping to excavate under concrete slab. you secure it to the PVC with standard PVC cement (otay or something similar is the brand @ HD) and the fixtures to attach a length of PVC to a hose are readably available. The combination of the excavation sprayer attached to about 2 feet of PVC and garden hose has a reach of 50 feet or so--probably more. I know because I was hitting squirrels well into the neighbor's yard with this combination.

Simple to get your soap dispenser inline before the PVC and excavator nozzle in such a set up.

Cost you about 10.00 or less.

[cshenk]

Thanks Gene! That's the ticket.

I've printed this one out and it's setting by for the neighbor.