Tent caterpillars WILL destroy your trees. We have used the dish soap in a spray bottle technique and have gotten rid of them also.
However, this year I will take tent caterpillars instead deer ticks that cause Lyme disease. Because we had such a mild winter, the deer ticks have spread along the western Michigan coastline. Found one crawling on my family room floor....it had come off my DH jeans after he was in the woods. UGH! Scared to go outside now...

Don't all caterpillars turn to a butterfly or moth and fly away at some point? I live in rural wooded area and the trees here always have them. No one does anything except if the tent looks ugly in a tree in the yard. When they hatch many use them for fishing bait. Easy bait to gather.

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Old rancher told us to poke holes in the tents and the wasps would kill the caterpillars...he said every insect has a predator. That was 8 years ago and we haven't seen any tents since- we purchased the longest closet rod we could find at the big box store and kept after them all season.


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When we have strange bugs we call the Extension Service for their advice.

My DH taped a hand held propane torch to a long pole, lite it and burned them out

First I would never use pesticides, ever. They kill more than just the bugs. My solution is to cut the branches out of the tree and put in a sealed container. Take then for a drive in the country and let them go where they can find new digs. I know where there are a few old cherry and apple trees along an old hedge row and they love these trees along with many others.

Hope you come to a peaceful solution for your unwanted guests.
peace

When I lived in Maryland, we called them "Eastern Tent Caterpillars". I had lived in Seattle for several years before I saw them there. I just did what a gardening writer called for. Put on an old pair of cloth gardening gloves and rub them out, smashing them as you go. If you get at them early enough, there will not be as much damage. If they are there long enough to damage the limbs, you may need to cut away the damage and burn it. I think that Rodell Press still puts out a book on identifying and controlling garden pests. If I were going to spray, I would look into what "Planet Natural" has to say about controlling them.

Gosh thank you (not) I live in the country and also have a hunting camp in the woods,. I would like to think you would not bring them to either place. It is like the people who drop off animals because Oh there is a barn. Burn them but do not bring them to another place

I agree with Donna Up North. There are enough of those things around; we needn't "preserve" them.