Hairy caterpillars what do they eat

Just like monarchs, these species have evolved to be able to eat and accumulate milkweed toxins in their bodies as a defense mechanism. They also require milkweed as a food source in order to be able to complete their lifecycles.

Of the milkweed-feeding insects, milkweed tussock caterpillars can seem alarming because of their voracious appetites. Gardeners who grow milkweed specifically for monarch butterflies are often dismayed to find milkweed tussock caterpillars rapidly devouring their plants.

Yet, milkweed tussock is a native species that evolved alongside the monarch. Knowing that species diversity is an essential part of a healthy ecosystem, there is no harm in leaving milkweed tussock caterpillars alone to eat a few milkweed plants. Adult milkweed tussock moths emerge in early summer to mate and lay eggs. Adults are rather non-descript, with gray wings and hairy yellow-orange abdomens. Females may go unnoticed as they lay clusters of eggs directly next to one another on the undersides of milkweed leaves.

The resulting caterpillars feed gregariously in clusters of ten or more throughout their first three instars stages of development. The larvae are initially difficult to detect. Egg nests are conspicuous because they are covered with yellow brown hair and scales. The larvae hatch after days. They feed for about 13 to 29 days on the tree leaves until they form a cocoon.

After days in a silk cocoon the adult moth hatches. During the winter the larvae may perform dormancy. As the larvae feed in tight groups burning torches can be used to decimate them.

Sprays of neem Azadirachta indica L. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is a microbial pesticide killing the caterpillars by crippling the gut. Always consider an integrated approach with preventive measures together with biological treatments if available.

Insecticide sprays containing cyphermethrin, deltamethrin, fluvalinat are effective against hairy caterpillars. Earn cash money by annotating images of infected plants and help farmers around the world! Take the test to qualify for the job! Despite their fuzzy innocent appearance, they are a destructive type of caterpillar.

They can quickly destroy large areas of woodland by eating all the tree leaves. Like with most fuzzy caterpillars, their light fine spines can cause contact allergies. The furry White-Marked Tussock caterpillar is easily identified by its unique look. The White-Marked Tussock caterpillar Orgyia leucostigma is an exotic looking caterpillar due to its many identifying features. Almost every part of this caterpillar has a different color.

It has a bright red head with tuft-like antennae on either side. The back of this moth caterpillar has yellow and black stripes running down its length. Just behind the head are 4 bushy white tufts and there are brown and black bushy tails at its end. Be careful handling these spiky caterpillars as their microscopic barbed spines can cause a lot of irritation. Different colored tufts of fine hair seem to stick out from all different parts of this caterpillar.

The Southern Flannel caterpillar is one of the fluffiest types of furry caterpillars. Found in the southern states such as Texas and Florida, the Southern Flannel moth caterpillar Megalopyge opercularis is a small and very hairy caterpillar. The larvae are covered in setae that look like messy beige-orange hair.

Some say that this species looks like a tiny Persian cat. Also, some types of this woolly caterpillar have orange line running down each side.

You may even find some with lemon-yellow fluffy hair with a long hairy tail. As the caterpillars mature to pupation, the hairy appearance becomes more disheveled. Longer straggly orange or brown hairs start to grow out from the sides. Even though this caterpillar looks soft and furry, the spines are poisonous and will cause a painful reaction to your skin. Being a medium-sized caterpillar, Southern Flannels grow to between 1. The hairy Western Tent Caterpillar has a long black and orange body.

Another large black furry caterpillar is the Western Tent species Malacosoma californicum. This type of caterpillar is from the Lasiocampidae family and is one of 6 subspecies in the family. This tent caterpillar species has a long black and orange body. Fine orange or dark yellow spines cover the body giving it a slightly furry look. However, some varieties of Western Tent caterpillars can be gray or white with an orange stripe.

Another feature that identifies Western Tent caterpillars is their pale blue head. An orange stripe and fine orange hairs running down the length of this caterpillar help to identify it. The large Eastern Tent Caterpillar has a distinct white line on its back.

Another black furry tent caterpillar is the Eastern Tent caterpillar Malacosoma americanum. This looks similar to its Western cousin but has a distinct white stripe running down its back. Looking closely at this caterpillar, you will also notice distinctive blue markings on its side. What makes this a hairy type of caterpillar is the tufts of fine spines just below the light blue markings.

These fine hairs can be any shade of color from silvery-white to light brown. Thin tufts of silky hairs on a black body with white stripes help to differentiate these caterpillars from other tent species. One of the larger species of tent caterpillars, the Eastern tent species grows up to 2. The Forest Tent Caterpillar has white marking on its back with blue and yellow stripes on each side. Forest Tent caterpillars Malacosoma disstria are similar in appearance to their Eastern and Western cousins.

They are similar in size with tufts of fine hair running down the length of their body. One of the identifying features of Forest caterpillars is their white footprint-shaped markings on each segment.

These white marks run up the back of the caterpillar. Also, light blue segmented stripes are on the sides of this crawling larvae. However, if you have sensitive skin, you may get itchy red patches of skin irritation after handling one. The same is true of other tent caterpillars. Markings that look like white footprints and blue and yellow stripes help identify this type of caterpillar. The Fall Webworm is a type of a small yellow hairy caterpillar with long spikes. Fall Webworms Hyphantria cunea caterpillar specimen look both hairy and spiky at the same time.

The interesting feature of Fall Webworms is that they come in a wide range of colors. Some of these small fuzzy caterpillars can be pale yellow with black dots, and others can be dark gray with light markings.