Its time to play: NAME THAT BUG!

[Solid Snake]

So, there are these caterpillars EVERYWHERE all of a sudden.
I am fairly certain the long hairy things on them are a defensive irritant.
Alas, I know nothing about them, or if they could be pupated into something that could be fed off, so...

Name this caterpillar!

Found in east NC.
Ranging from 2-3" in length.

There are many butterflies around, the only one I have been able to identify is the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, or Papilio glaucus(I would also like to know if I can feed these, it is also the largest butterly around by far)

 

[kwilkens14]

I'm 99% sure that's an eastern tent caterpillar!

I used to find them ALL over the place when I lived in South Carolina/Arkansas. Edibility, I'm not so sure on. I'm with you on the hairy things being a defensive trait, but I've handled 100s of them and never felt a prick.

 

[Trace]

Nasty things

Those are a tent caterpillar. While I don't think they are poisonous persay I don't think they taste very good and as you say the hairs deter me from using them as a seasonal feeder.

http://web.cortland.edu/fitzgerald/Easterntent.htm
http://bugguide.net/node/view/558

 

[Solid Snake]

Ah ha!

Yes thats right!

Here is what wiki has to say on toxicity:

Toxicity

The eastern tent caterpillar has been linked to a phenomenon called 'Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome' (MRLS). Experimental studies have shown that when pregnant mares are fed eastern tent caterpillars they abort. The caterpillars of this species often feed on the highly cyanogenic black cherry tree (Prunus serotina) and it was originally hypothesized that the mares were aborting in response to the cyanide they consumed along with the caterpillars. However, that hypothesis was disproven. In another study, the necropsy of a mare fed eastern tent caterpillars showed that fragments of the caterpillar's setae had embedded in the gut wall leading investigators to hypothesize that these invasive fragments may allow infective agents to pass into the animal's blood stream then travel to the placenta, initiating an abortive event. It remains to be determined whether this is indeed the cause of MRLS.

So I dont think Ill be feeding them

I find them crawling all over the outside of my outdoor cages, and will have to make sure they dont get in.

Thanks!

 

[JonRich]

I agree with it being a Eastern Tent Caterpiller. I would not feed the caterpillers, but they do turn into Moths. I'm not sure about the moths either..

Some info i found on the web.

http://www.insectidentification.org...?identification=Eastern-Tent-Caterpillar-Moth

 

[DekuScrub]

Bwah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chali2naRap]

happy insects = happy chameleon! YAY

 

[Solid Snake]

Bwah!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No, B-U-G, bu-uuu-ugg, bug, bug, sound it out.

happy insects = happy chameleon! YAY

LOl

 

[okiroo]

HEY! i made a thread on them XD. guess there all over NC 2 i picked some up and np but wont feed them off. im upset about the Mare study done on them aborting their babeis becuz today one of my cats aborted a babie. mabey she ate some

 

[ataraxia]

Its a southern pretty hairy caterpillar. Go ahead..google it.

 

[Solid Snake]

HEY! i made a thread on them XD. guess there all over NC 2 i picked some up and np but wont feed them off. im upset about the Mare study done on them aborting their babeis becuz today one of my cats aborted a babie. mabey she ate some

LOL, yes I saw your thread, they are everywhere!

I havnt seen any "tents" in the trees, but I see them crawling all over everything.

I have been finding hoppers and katydids too! FINALLY!

Im sorry about the kitten, even though Im not a cat person.

You can feed the moths though, at least, I have been feeding the moths for a while with no issues.

 

[okiroo]

LOL, yes I saw your thread, they are everywhere!

I havnt seen any "tents" in the trees, but I see them crawling all over everything.

I have been finding hoppers and katydids too! FINALLY!

Im sorry about the kitten, even though Im not a cat person.

You can feed the moths though, at least, I have been feeding the moths for a while with no issues.

theres tents all around my yard. i've probally seen 50+ at least. mabey all mine are crawling to NC. hahahaha. its ok. things happen. i feel bad for the mom. she seemed sad today. too young to be haveing kittens anyways. but its only one and she may have more. idk.

 

[Solid Snake]

I think they may be blowing over here, with how windy its been.

 

[okiroo]

I think they may be blowing over here, with how windy its been.

lmfao. funny. mine have been decreasing in number so mabey they are i like them but i feel terrible when i step on them, even if they are sorta pests on trees.

 

[shaunaroxanne]

Haha, round here we call those Gypsy Moths. Very, very bad for the forests in PA.

 

[WingedWolfPsion]

Eastern Tent Caterpillars/Tent moths are not Gypsy moths. Tent moths are a native species, although they can be a pest if they get on a young tree--they will strip all of the leaves.

Gypsy moths are a voracious invasive species that kill lots of trees, and have even derailed a train--the caterpillars were migrating to find a place to pupate, and coated so much of the track that they made it too slick...

Here's what a Gypsy moth caterpillar looks like: http://www.acgov.org/cda/awm/agprograms/images/mothlarvalarge.jpg
If you see one of THOSE...kill it.

 

[shaunaroxanne]

Eastern Tent Caterpillars/Tent moths are not Gypsy moths. Tent moths are a native species, although they can be a pest if they get on a young tree--they will strip all of the leaves.

Gypsy moths are a voracious invasive species that kill lots of trees, and have even derailed a train--the caterpillars were migrating to find a place to pupate, and coated so much of the track that they made it too slick...

Here's what a Gypsy moth caterpillar looks like: http://www.acgov.org/cda/awm/agprograms/images/mothlarvalarge.jpg
If you see one of THOSE...kill it.

Ahh, you are correct! My bad! I thought they were all the same but now I see the difference.

 

[LucasD]

Lies

Its a southern pretty hairy caterpillar. Go ahead..google it.

This information is completely false. Google not only turned up with a totally different name, but also, there isn't ANY bug called the Southern Pretty Hair caterpillar. So yeah. Feeders aren't the only things getting served some sour apples right now. Eat that.

 

[Solid Snake]

Its a southern pretty hairy caterpillar. Go ahead..google it.

Thanks!

This information is completely false. Google not only turned up with a totally different name, but also, there isn't ANY bug called the Southern Pretty Hair caterpillar. So yeah. Feeders aren't the only things getting served some sour apples right now. Eat that.

There must be some issue on your end, because it pulls up fine for me. Maybe its because you have some sort of child-lock on your computer? I assume you to be a child from that statement anyhow...
(plus you left out the "Y")

Eastern Tent Caterpillars/Tent moths are not Gypsy moths. Tent moths are a native species, although they can be a pest if they get on a young tree--they will strip all of the leaves.

Gypsy moths are a voracious invasive species that kill lots of trees, and have even derailed a train--the caterpillars were migrating to find a place to pupate, and coated so much of the track that they made it too slick...

Here's what a Gypsy moth caterpillar looks like: http://www.acgov.org/cda/awm/agprograms/images/mothlarvalarge.jpg
If you see one of THOSE...kill it.

Very interesting, thanks!

 

[LucasD]

Caterpillars

Now adult-only.