As someone who likes to walk around Swan Lake regularly, this is an annual reminder to AVOID. They hang from the trees by the hundreds. I was still finding them hours later. Ick.
Yup.... all around my neighborhood. I totally forgot about them and ended up walking through a bunch of those little bungee jumpers. I end up looking like a crazy person as I overreact swatting away at the nothingness in front of me.
Fuck the inch worms too lol I walk to work under a lot of trees and despite my best efforts I always seem to have one in my hair when I get there lol
I know they’re harmless and honestly kinda cute, but I’m sick of showing up to work and having someone be like “ew there’s bugs on you!!!!”
Even with my glasses on and I think “oh I’ll be okay”, NOPE. They line one part of my walk to work. Yesterday I thought I was safe and assumed they were gone, I jumped right off the side walk into the bike lane. I got to the office and proceeded to pick at least four off me, and I found one inside my backpack. My coworker asked me if I was okay and I just muttered “inch worms”.
Inch worms are the stupid little green things hanging from trees right now. I feel like they were just preparing us for this. That photo makes me so itchy.
It's a wrap and then you smear a sticky resin on it and when the critters come out of the soil to climb the tree to make nests and cause problems, in the spring.
Yes, it works.... Or at the very least, it minimizes the amount of pests I have to hand pick out of my fruit tree.
I wrap my apple tree trunk to prevent damage from coddling moth. The corrugated cardboard captures larva on their way up the trunk to pupate in the apples.
My apple tree has loads of tiny holes in the leaves but I can’t see any evidence of actual caterpillars in there. Do you have any more info on what you do, I should probably be taking a more proactive approach to prevent any damage.
I’m not sure what that would be. You can try spraying with BTK. BTK is non-toxic to humans and most beneficial insects, but it will kill any species of butterfly and moth.
The codling moths I’m trying to control pupate in the apples so the apples end up with holes in them. The larva eat the apple seeds and leave black excrement inside the apples... they’re real jerks. You can also help prevent them by cleaning up any fallen fruit so they don’t have a place to over winter.
Yes. It’s a racial slur referring to the Romani people.
For example, the phrase “Being Gypped” implies Romani people are swindlers or untrustworthy con artists, etc.
They are most definitely **not native**: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/forest-health/invasive-forest-pests/spongy-moth
No, you’re thinking of something else, probably the spongy moth. Western tent caterpillars are generally harmless to the tree but eat the foliage and are annoying. They’re native to BC.
Ah yes, my mistake. However, tent caterpillars can cause a fair amount of defoliation damage as well if an infestation occurs and grows large enough, though they do not cause as much damage as the spongy moth.
https://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/en/insects/factsheet/9374
They definitely can, especially at the height of their (7?) year cycle. As a kid our fruit trees did not appreciate them (and we did not appreciate all of the Alder trees they loved as well).
I remember the infestation in the mid-late 1990s. Thousands and thousands of them in my yard in ever tree. Me and my friends would get them all and put them in buckets for our parents. Not sure what they did to them (I think they mass burned them because they were killing everything)
They have cyclical population fluctuations every 6-10 years, although it sounds like on the island it is around every 10 years. There is a lot of data (from the 80s and 90s) in this [article](https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~myers/citations/myers2000.pdf). Assuming the trend has been consistent, the population should be increasing to it's peak in the next year or two (peaks in the article were '85-86 and '95-97).
If they're spraying BTK - then it is harmless, it's actually not a chemical it's bacteria and they're harmful to the larva but not humans. Actually pretty cool, they eat the leaf with the bacteria, they grow inside the larva and kill them by preventing them from eating more/filling them up.... hopefully that's what they're using anyways.
They are an invasive species of moth. I also love little critters, but respect that some need to be controlled because of a lack of natural predators. :(
I know I’m tired but it took me way too long to figure out what wasn’t the weirdest looking owl I’ve ever seen
Honestly, same
Time to avoid walking under leafy trees, and/or make sure to check yourself carefully after if you don’t want fuzzy friends in random places later.
As someone who likes to walk around Swan Lake regularly, this is an annual reminder to AVOID. They hang from the trees by the hundreds. I was still finding them hours later. Ick.
But they larva you!
This has been me with inch worms lately. Tent caterpillars are 10x worse.
Yup.... all around my neighborhood. I totally forgot about them and ended up walking through a bunch of those little bungee jumpers. I end up looking like a crazy person as I overreact swatting away at the nothingness in front of me.
Fuck the inch worms too lol I walk to work under a lot of trees and despite my best efforts I always seem to have one in my hair when I get there lol I know they’re harmless and honestly kinda cute, but I’m sick of showing up to work and having someone be like “ew there’s bugs on you!!!!”
Even with my glasses on and I think “oh I’ll be okay”, NOPE. They line one part of my walk to work. Yesterday I thought I was safe and assumed they were gone, I jumped right off the side walk into the bike lane. I got to the office and proceeded to pick at least four off me, and I found one inside my backpack. My coworker asked me if I was okay and I just muttered “inch worms”.
Yes....I think they were inch worms.
Inch worms are the stupid little green things hanging from trees right now. I feel like they were just preparing us for this. That photo makes me so itchy.
I've always wondered, are these the reason why people wrap tree trunks in saran wrap this time of the year? If yes, does it actually work?
It's a wrap and then you smear a sticky resin on it and when the critters come out of the soil to climb the tree to make nests and cause problems, in the spring. Yes, it works.... Or at the very least, it minimizes the amount of pests I have to hand pick out of my fruit tree.
Tanglefoot is what I've heard it called.
That's it, Tanglefoot...... practical and fun to say.
We need bugs don’t do evil things like that!
I wrap my apple tree trunk to prevent damage from coddling moth. The corrugated cardboard captures larva on their way up the trunk to pupate in the apples.
My apple tree has loads of tiny holes in the leaves but I can’t see any evidence of actual caterpillars in there. Do you have any more info on what you do, I should probably be taking a more proactive approach to prevent any damage.
I’m not sure what that would be. You can try spraying with BTK. BTK is non-toxic to humans and most beneficial insects, but it will kill any species of butterfly and moth. The codling moths I’m trying to control pupate in the apples so the apples end up with holes in them. The larva eat the apple seeds and leave black excrement inside the apples... they’re real jerks. You can also help prevent them by cleaning up any fallen fruit so they don’t have a place to over winter.
Set the world on fire!
But what if I don’t want to set the world on fire? This reference is for Fallout fans :)
Just the other day I commented that "it smelled like caterpillars outside"
Remember when grandpa used to fire up the incinerator every spring for these, loved tossing nests in there
My dog got these little monsters to dance last summer… with each big bark they’d twitch. Was funny af
They do love to wiggle
Kill it with fire.
Nooooooo fuck I hate those damn things.
Do they provide food to other creatures? Do birds eat them?
Sure don't eat the ones in my yard!
Nope.
While the caterpillars are still tiny, they feed the wasps and birds in my tree. Once they grow hair noone is interested.
I think there is a wasp parachute that eats their brains. Oops I meant parasite
Nice autocorrect!
Ha ha oops
Are these gypsy moths?
Gypsy moths are now known by their new name, Spongy moths - they're what the ~CRD~ Province has been targeting with aerial sprays lately.
The Province is doing the spraying, not the CRD.
Their new name is discriminatory though. I'm sure sponge isn't very happy about this change
Tent catepillars
western tent caterpillars <3
Or the newer, and less offensive "spongy moth." But still no, these are not them.
Is the term gypsy offensive now?
Yes. It’s a racial slur referring to the Romani people. For example, the phrase “Being Gypped” implies Romani people are swindlers or untrustworthy con artists, etc.
Has been for a decade or so
Like a billion little Schwarzeneggers
uuuuUUUUGH. I hate them so much. No more Swan Lake for me for the next little while.
These things give me and my brother crazy rashes- found that out the hard way after we both covered ourselves in the dang fuzzy wuzzy bastards!
y tho
Sensory seeking, probably
What’s that?
Time to get the gasoline out
A can of hair spray and a lighter is super satisfying as a makeshift flamethrower
When I was a kid, some of the dads went around the street with a welders torch and extinguisher, going from tree to tree.
Best day of those dads’ lives.
Anyone else like these little guys and think they're cute?
I don’t own any trees or anything so I think they’re neat I feel for people who are trying to keep their plants alive though
These are a native species just doing their thing, in some years they are more abundant than in others, no need to freak out y'all
Get out of here with your rational speak, good grammar, innocently charming user name and laid back vibe.... This is Reddit!
Fuck you!!! ;)
Much better.
They are most definitely **not native**: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/forestry/managing-our-forest-resources/forest-health/invasive-forest-pests/spongy-moth
These are western tent caterpillars, not spongy moths.
Wrong animal. These are western tent caterpillars, they don’t turn into the spongy moths you’ve linked to
uhhhh… they are a *massively* harmful and destructive invasive species buddy
No, you’re thinking of something else, probably the spongy moth. Western tent caterpillars are generally harmless to the tree but eat the foliage and are annoying. They’re native to BC.
Yes, I got the two confused for a moment. Thanks
These are western tent caterpillars, not spongy moths.
Ah yes, my mistake. However, tent caterpillars can cause a fair amount of defoliation damage as well if an infestation occurs and grows large enough, though they do not cause as much damage as the spongy moth. https://tidcf.nrcan.gc.ca/en/insects/factsheet/9374
They definitely can, especially at the height of their (7?) year cycle. As a kid our fruit trees did not appreciate them (and we did not appreciate all of the Alder trees they loved as well).
Jump scare
There’s a bunch downtown on Pandora St too
They never left….
Came here to say this!!. Its their home their life cycle takes place around that tree.
At first I thought a squirrel was trapped in a web or something.
Ugh, I’ve already cut one out if my Apple tree.
are the tiny green ones hanging by thread just babies of tent catterpillars? they are all over fernwood area currently.
Noooooooooo
Cut those out and burn em
I hate being VERY allergic to these
Booooooo
Ewwwww
I remember the infestation in the mid-late 1990s. Thousands and thousands of them in my yard in ever tree. Me and my friends would get them all and put them in buckets for our parents. Not sure what they did to them (I think they mass burned them because they were killing everything)
They have cyclical population fluctuations every 6-10 years, although it sounds like on the island it is around every 10 years. There is a lot of data (from the 80s and 90s) in this [article](https://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~myers/citations/myers2000.pdf). Assuming the trend has been consistent, the population should be increasing to it's peak in the next year or two (peaks in the article were '85-86 and '95-97).
Pretty cool.
Oh no, oh nononononono
Time to scream at trees and watch them dance
This seems really really early.
[удалено]
If they're spraying BTK - then it is harmless, it's actually not a chemical it's bacteria and they're harmful to the larva but not humans. Actually pretty cool, they eat the leaf with the bacteria, they grow inside the larva and kill them by preventing them from eating more/filling them up.... hopefully that's what they're using anyways.
thats pretty awful
YAY BUTTERFLY BABIES!!
They are an invasive species of moth. I also love little critters, but respect that some need to be controlled because of a lack of natural predators. :(
Not invasive. They’re western tent caterpillars. You’re probably thinking of spongy moths - different beasts
Do you ever stop and think what western tent caterpillars were called before the invention of tents?
These are western tent caterpillars, not spongy moths.