Forest Tent Caterpillar

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Taxonomy

Domain	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Class	Insecta
Subclass	Pterygota
Infraclass	Neoptera
Superorder	Holometabola
Order	Lepidoptera
Superfamily	Lasiocampoidea
Family	Lasiocampidae
Subfamily	Malacosominae
Tribe	Malacosomini
Genus	Malacosoma

Scientific Name

Malacosoma disstria

Common Name

forest tent caterpillar

Compiled by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University: [1]

Hosts:

Ash, aspen, various fruit trees, poplars, willow, are among the many deciduous trees that this insect may feed on.

Damage and Diagnosis:

Forest tent caterpillar larvae and damage.

Caterpillars chew on leaves of many trees during spring. Although serious defoliation is rare, outbreaks in stands of native aspen have historically occurred.

Although this is the most common of the tent caterpillars (Malacosoma spp.) it does not may a permanent silken tent in branch crotches. Instead colonies will make several resting mats of lightly spun silk during a season. Forest tent caterpillars are also distinctive by having an unusual electric blue color and a series of yellow "keyhole" patterns along their back.

Life History and Habits:

Winter is spent within light gray egg masses glued to twigs. Caterpillars emerge from the eggs in mid-Spring and feed on the young leaves. Throughout their early development forest tent caterpillars feed gregariously, also resting during the day in groups on a light silken pad spun on trunks or large branches. Such resting sites may be used for a few consecutive days but the colonies move about the tree and produce several such resting mats as they develop. Caterpillars nearing maturity disperse and when full-grown most wander away from the host tree. They pupate within a white cocoon and adults emerge in early summer. Adults are moderate sized light brown moths with a wavy light markings on the wings. After mating the females lay the eggs that survive winter.

Forest tent caterpillar egg mass.

Forest tent caterpillar larvae.

Forest tent caterpillar pupae.

Management:

Populations of forest tent caterpillar are usually well suppressed by numerous natural enemies including tachinind flies, parasitic wasps, spiders, birds and other general predators. Supplemental controls are rarely warranted. Treatments in the supplement for control of Leaf feeding caterpillars should be effective for this insect.

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