Caterpillar w/nest - identification - Ask Extension
I am attaching a photo of a nest of caterpillars I cut off a squaw currant bush. There were nests like this on 3 bushes, at least 100 feet apart. ...
Knowledgebase
Caterpillar w/nest - identification #569639
Asked June 12, 2019, 12:33 PM EDT
I am attaching a photo of a nest of caterpillars I cut off a squaw currant bush. There were nests like this on 3 bushes, at least 100 feet apart. To me they look like the tent caterpillars I saw on the east coast, but I did not think those caterpillars occur in Colorado. We are at about 7300', west of Loveland, above Drake in the Storm Mtn area. What species is this? Is it new here? Other than cutting out and destroying the nests is there anything else to do to control them?
Thank you
Thank you
Larimer County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello,
You are correct--these are tent caterpillars. While the nest looks concerning, they do not usually cause any damage and removing the nest is a good option. We have a fact sheet on the various types of tent caterpillars in Colorado: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/tent-making-caterpillars-5-583/
You are correct--these are tent caterpillars. While the nest looks concerning, they do not usually cause any damage and removing the nest is a good option. We have a fact sheet on the various types of tent caterpillars in Colorado: https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/insects/tent-making-caterpillars-5-583/
