View Full Version : How to get rid of eastern tent caterpillars
lkicker
Jun 2, 2008, 06:23 AM
My 2 crab trees have eastern tent caterpillars, how do I get rid of them for good?
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wildandblue
Jun 2, 2008, 08:31 AM
Quick fix, find a nice long narrow stick, poke it into the nest then twirl it around like you are spinning yarn or like the guy at the carnival that makes candy cotton on a stick. Once whole nest is neatly wrapped around the stick, just step on them or toss into trash. You can examine the ends of twigs in early spring to find the tiny egg masses and remove those or it's simpler to just go out early in the morning when the dew is on the grass and trees and look for the tiny webs at that time and brush them off before the caterpillars are very large. You do this a few times and the bugs are gone. They don't travel off too far from home, so your area should soon be free of them.
bushg
Jun 2, 2008, 08:38 AM
In my neck of the woods they use them for fish bait. Hang out a sign that says Free fish bait, let someone else do the work for you:)
wildandblue
Jun 3, 2008, 10:15 AM
Kind of like if life gives you lemons, make lemonaide? There should be some good use for those little things. I mean, think of the money we'd make. Other than the money being made by the petrochemical insecticide companies I mean.
themouseman
Jun 4, 2008, 08:25 PM
Try applying thuricide
It's a natural bacteria that only kills moth and butterfly larvae
Check out link Thuricide - Bt - Bacillus Thuringensis Concentrate 8 oz (http://www.agorganics.com/products/Thuricide/12/94.html)
Need to by applied every spring when nests are present.
WVHiflyer
Jun 14, 2008, 01:04 PM
My 2 crab trees have eastern tent caterpillars, how do I get rid of them for good?
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We always made torches and burned them out. But I like busgg's idea... <G>