Experts warn this is the time of year to watch out for eastern tent caterpillars.
Jonathan Larson, extension entomologist with the University of Kentucky, said the primary cause for concern about the insects relates to horses, and the risk they can cause Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome. This occurs when a pregnant mare ingests one of these caterpillars, which due to the fibrous hairs covering its body, causes it to get stuck in the stomach or intestinal lining of the horse. This causes the mare to miscarry.
However, Larson said it’s easy to deal with the bugs by targeting the weblike nests they construct in trees.
“You can destroy them pretty easily. We joke about it being the “cotton-candy” method. You just shove a stick in the nest and kind of twirl it around, you get a ball of web and caterpillars at the tip, and then you can destroy that however you want. Dunk it in soapy water, you can throw it in a fire. We don’t normally recommend fire for pest control, but in this instance, as long as it’s not going into the tree it can be helpful,” said Larson.
Larson said there are also various insecticides which can help remove the pests. He said it’s extremely important for horse farm owners to know when ETC’s begin hatching and forming nests, so they can be dealt with in a timely manner.
“It usually begins in the early spring, and the last couple of years we’ve had these warmer winters, and so things actually got started earlier last year and the year before. But this year, our winter has sort of reverted to the average, and things look more normal in terms of the timeline,” said Larson.
Larson said the eastern tent caterpillar tends to prefer local ornamental trees and are harmless except for horses.
More information about eastern tent caterpillars can be found at entomology.ca.uky.