Tent caterpillar season How do you deal with them

[runfiverun]

if these things are so easy to kill why are there so many of them?
a picture would be cool,i have no idea what y'all are talking about.

[oldred]

if these things are so easy to kill why are there so many of them?
a picture would be cool,i have no idea what y'all are talking about.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tent_caterpillar

Obviously you are lucky enough to not have them! These pests can strip a tree of it's leaves in a matter of just a few days and can do serious damage to fruit trees and ornamental trees.

[rexherring]

The Flame Thrower looks very gratifying but it's been so dry here we'd start a range fire. I just spray with Sevin or Malathion and cut them out.

[Charley]

Pick up some BT (Bacillus Thuringiensis) concentrate, available at most decent nurserys and many ag businesses. BT is a bacterial agent, gives many insect larva, including the caterpillar stage of most moths a nasty disease. Pretty much harmless to mammals and most everything else.
One comon trade name is Di-Pel.

[Jeffrey]

Many caterpillars must go to the ground for moisture in dry weather. A piece of aluminum foil wrapped around the tree and secured with duct or beageling tape will let them go down but not get back up - too slippery.
Jeffrey

[10x]

I have great luck with this stuff -a microbial insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis . The catepillar dies but nothing else does

[Hamish]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwjYz...1&feature=plcp

Uh, dead tree, hello?

Does nobody fish?????

[greenbud]

you would not want to fish with these they can cause masive rashes if they get on your skin

[Reload3006]

I just spray them with insecticide. Kills them just fine and doesn't harm my trees. I am all for better living through modern chemistry. LOL

[.22-10-45]

Hello, everyone. Today, I discovered them on a burning bush next to house, since we have pets, I really didn't want to use insecticides..so..I mixed up liquid laundry detergent & Murfy's oil soap, in a 5 gallon bucket of hottest tap water. Used a hand operated "trombone" sprayer.
Killed on contact. hosed down entire tree. Few hours later, we had a nice rain, so probably washed off anything too harmful for bush. Saw on net water-based formula of hot chillies or garlick.

[FWest]

I worked as a landscaper when I was young. I was told to mix leaf chewing tobacco and lemon dish soap with water and spray the juice on any plant that was being eaten by insects. It worked for Jap Beetles on roses and other flowers.

[.22-10-45]

Hello, Well. I can tell you what doesn't work! Hot soapy water killed off many, but by noon, they were out again in full force. Next day, bought cheapest, hottest, pepper chilli pepper sauce i could find, mixed with soap & hot tap water..the fumes off this stuff made me choke! Hosed down bush with two applications..many dead on contact..by noon ..like I haden't even been there! These critters are tough!

[just.don]

I cut the infested portion of the limb off the tree and burn it.

[oldred]

Sevin is relatively non-toxic to people and pets, heck it was and maybe still is recommended on the label to be used as flea powder on dogs-the powder type anyway. Just toss a little dust on the "tent" or mix a small amount of the spray type and the problem will be solved, nothing gets hurt except caterpillars and other insects. Simple VERY effective and it just takes a little bit.