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Saskatchewan can soon expect another round of visits from some of its least-favourite six-legged friends.
Rick VanDuyvendyk with Dutch Growers in Saskatoon said tent caterpillars should reappear in the province any day now.
“So basically what you are going to see, if last year was bad, this year will be about the same, maybe even a little bit worse.”
Many were looking on in horror around this time last year as photos and videos of tent caterpillar infestations were shared on social media. In some cases, walls, trees and floors were so heavily covered in the insects that they almost appeared to be moving in waves.
Tent caterpillars are at the top of their seven-year cycle right now and their eggs should be about to hatch, if they haven’t already.
However, VanDuyvendyk said the bugs are easy enough to take care of.
“Right now the egg masses are on the branches, so as long as you get out there before the leaves come on, you can actually pick those leaf masses off, just with your finger nails.”
If you are not able to catch the caterpillars before they hatch, VanDuyvendyk suggested using a biological spray called BTK, which is not toxic to mammals.
VanDuyvendyk said tent caterpillar numbers should start to decline after this year.