Tent Caterpillars

[Old Boggy]

Having just got rid of a small infestation of tent caterpillars from my own hawthorn hedge, I stopped by one of my farmer friends fields where he fairly recently planted (2/3 years ago) a hawthorn hedge and discovered that the tent caterpillars were decimating the foliage on his hedge. The hedgerow is about 300 yards long and I guess that they have so far inhabited approximately 1/4 of it.

I`m now waiting for JDog to please advise, firstly, if there is anything that can be sprayed to kill the little blighters that won`t affect the rape behind, or if they will permanently affect the hawthorn hedge, so if not, spraying won`t be necessary.

[Old Boggy]

They are indeed the brown tail moth caterpillars and as you say can be a bad irritant, as my neighbour found out to his cost and needed hospital treatment last time they were around. 

We had a bad infestation of them about 3/4 years ago here in Kent and have the same this year. Even the media are warning people about them. They seem to target hawthorn predominantly but no doubt have been known to host on other plants.

I have tried spraying previously to no avail, so now in my hedge, I cut the whole tent out and burn the lot.

OB

[anser2]

In the open countryside, I would not worry about them. The hedge will soon recover. I once saw a 80 acre oak wood defoliated , but the next year you would never have guessed it had happened.

[Old Boggy]

12 hours ago, anser2 said:

In the open countryside, I would not worry about them. The hedge will soon recover. I once saw a 80 acre oak wood defoliated , but the next year you would never have guessed it had happened.

Thanks for that anser2, very reassuring. I`ll let my farmer friend know as even he wasn`t too sure whether the hedgerow would recover.

 

[JDog]

Sorry OB  I  was slow onto this.

Avoid the caterpillars if at all possible. Provided that the plants on which they are situated can make new buds in the season of infestation they should make a complete recovery. 

I saw a great many of these nests today on the coast in Sea Buckthorn.

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by JDog

[Walker570]

Are these the black/dark brown very hairy critters ?  If so after 70yrs I still get the rash inbetween my fingers every spring as a result of gathering a double handful and taking them back home, dumping them in the middle of the large pine kitchen farmhouse table. Within 48hrs my fingers doubled in size and the insides covered in litle itchy blebs. Our Dr said that I would have a recurrence of the blebs and itching for the rest of my life. Not so bad these days but noticed irritation the other day and sure enough the rash was still there. Nothing a smear of Germolene will not put right.

[Old Boggy]

6 hours ago, JDog said:

Sorry OB  I  was slow onto this.

Avoid the caterpillars if at all possible. Provided that the plants on which they are situated can make new buds in the season of infestation they should make a complete recovery. 

I saw a great many of these nests today on the coast in Sea Buckthorn.

 

As you know they are particularly fond of hawthorn, but sea buckthorn is also a favourite. They have an infestation again this year on sea buckthorn in the Romney Marsh area in Kent in the dunes at Greatstone. However, I understand that due to the area being an SSSI the council are under pressure NOT to remove any of the sea buckthorn. They had, at the last infestation, tried spraying but that was a long process and took up to 7 weeks to have an effect, by which time the moths had developed. They are going to attempt using pheromone treatment this year once the moths emerge.