Forest Tent Caterpillars

[CANOPY SAM]

Been doing a little reading and it sounds like we could be in for the big explosion this summer, or maybe next summer, but it's almost certainly going to be one or the other.

All the researchers are pointing to a repeat of 2001, when the numbers of creepy crawlies are going to blot out the sun, and make all the roads like massive oil slicks!

Kinda walking the fence on whether or not we should plant our gardens, or do any further landscaping around our place.

[CANOPY SAM]

Been doing a little reading and it sounds like we could be in for the big explosion this summer, or maybe next summer, but it's almost certainly going to be one or the other.

All the researchers are pointing to a repeat of 2001, when the numbers of creepy crawlies are going to blot out the sun, and make all the roads like massive oil slicks!

Kinda walking the fence on whether or not we should plant our gardens, or do any further landscaping around our place. We're currently half way thru a large boulder/rock/shrub/perennial garden, and I was planning on wrapping it all up this spring when it warms up and dries up. Now, I'm not so sure I should trust putting in small shrubs and greenery. It might all get wiped out in May and June?

Anyone ever have to deal with these voracious caterpillars and attempting to protect your gardens, orchards, etc.? What did you do?

[delcecchi]

Isn't that why BT or Malathion was developed?

[delcecchi]

If it doesn't work, at least it won't hurt you.

[CANOPY SAM]

I've done quite a bit of work with BT in the past. In fact, I was working for the Red River Valley Potato Growers Association when Monsanto first began working on incorporating BT directly into their seed.

Since then this stuff has been developed under numerous systemic applications. Pretty cool stuff. Might just be the way to go, Del!

I'm wondering if dusting something in a perimeter around all the gardens, and landscaping might be enough to keep the majority of creepy crawlies out of my plants?

The literature indicates that most plants, at least heavy woody trees, and shrubs, have no trouble surviving complete defoliation by these guys. It's just such an eyesore having groves normally green and lush, with nothing but bare trees. Hardly feels like summer. Not to mention having these critters covering everything you own.

I remember trying to camp with my family in 01', and after only a few hours we just gave up. Tough to relax around the campfire with little fuzzy caterpillars crawling all over everything.

[ottertailguy]

Around Otter Tail Lake we donate $30 yearly to the lake association and they have someone spray by air for those critters. I never know for sure that the area around our place is sprayed but haven't seen them for along time now. Last time we saw them makes us donate when ever they ask though. I remember people were spraying soapy water on trees, scrubs and anything else they were found on.

[delcecchi]

I've done quite a bit of work with BT in the past. In fact, I was working for the Red River Valley Potato Growers Association when Monsanto first began working on incorporating BT directly into their seed.

Since then this stuff has been developed under numerous systemic applications. Pretty cool stuff. Might just be the way to go, Del!

I'm wondering if dusting something in a perimeter around all the gardens, and landscaping might be enough to keep the majority of creepy crawlies out of my plants?

The literature indicates that most plants, at least heavy woody trees, and shrubs, have no trouble surviving complete defoliation by these guys. It's just such an eyesore having groves normally green and lush, with nothing but bare trees. Hardly feels like summer. Not to mention having these critters covering everything you own.

I remember trying to camp with my family in 01', and after only a few hours we just gave up. Tough to relax around the campfire with little fuzzy caterpillars crawling all over everything.

Yep, and in a couple years you will have the "friendly flies". We ran into them once on a canoe trip. There were millions of them.

[Dotch]

I've never had a problem in the garden with forest tent caterpillars in SC MN or in the part of SE MN where I grew up. Not saying it can't happen but probably more likely in a wooded environment. A fact sheet from the U:

http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/insects/find/forest-tent-caterpillars/

Was this one of the reports you read, Sam?

http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_2...nt-caterpillars

[delcecchi]

That's an interesting point. I don't recall hearing of a "army worm" outbreak in the southern part of the state, like around Rochester and so on. I wonder why? Wrong kind of trees?

[Big-Al]

The preferred specie is aspen and unless you are a in close proximity to a stand of aspen you will not likely have a large issue with FTC in your garden. BT would be a good choice if you need to do some control measures.

[CANOPY SAM]

Yeah Dotch, that's one of em' that I found. That's a good read. Very informative. I'm kinda surprised we haven't heard much else about this in the news, but I suppose it won't be news till it's news.

[Powerstroke]

Seems silly to avoid doing an entire project on the possibility of an insect hatch.

Forest tent caterpillar is a very easy insect to control, especially WITHOUT the use of insecticide. Insecticide works extremely well too, but doing a soap spray will take care of the caterpillars.

[Powerstroke]

It won't be news because its not really news. The caterpillars are a defoliator and while they do eat alot of leaves, they don't kill plants generally. Even the UofM extension says the same thing. The FTC is not a plague. Outbreak is a good word for it since they are always around, but they are somewhat worse some years.

That being said, they are easy to control with or without insecticide. Soap mixtures very well or you can use the BT.

Most plants, like the entire forest, will releaf in the same growing season. There is no reason to be concerned with the FTC. The only true hazard of them is when they did grease up the roads in areas.

[CANOPY SAM]

It might seem silly until you see what they can do. In our part of the country (NW MN), in a season when their numbers explode, every grove of trees for miles around will be entirely defoliated. It looks like winter, mid-summer!

And we do "truck gardening" on our acreage. So when we put in gardens we put in enough seed and plants to grow thousands of pounds of produce. It would be a huge amount of manual labor, and resources to pour into something that would end up wiped out by insects.

That's kinda why I posted this Powerstroke, to get some advice on how I might control them...if they do show up this summer.

So when you say "soap spray", do you mean any soap? None of the literature I've read mentioned anything as simple as a soapy spray.