By Jeff Labine

Tent caterpillars ‘an aesthetic nuisance’

Jun 6, 2017 | 2:00 PM

Gardeners have nothing to fear from forest tent caterpillars.

That’s according to Angie Bragg, the owner of Wright’s Greenhouse, who has more than 30 years of experience in gardening.

“They are more of an aesthetic nuisance than anything else,” she said. “They will go after the trees, especially poplars. For the most part, it is just a nuisance is what it is. They are not going to go after your plants or anything.”

She added despite caterpillars’ preference for trees, their presence won’t kill the plant.

The colder temperatures delayed the spread of the insects but now that the weather has turned hot, the caterpillars will start to increase feeding and spread.

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The outbreak cycles typically last between three and seven years. The caterpillar count is expected to increase in the coming weeks and begin to dwindle by mid-July.

Although tent caterpillars won’t harm gardens, there are insects that will.

Bragg said gardeners should watch out for beetles.

“Once the canola gets up, the flea beetles are always an issue,” she said. “Later on (in the season), aphids get into everything. They start eating away at the leaves and everything but it’s not that detrimental to the plant and you can spray.”

Dealing with insects really depends on the individual gardener and if they want to use chemical-based insecticides or more organic methods, she said.

For those wanting a more organic option, Bragg suggested using insecticide soap, which should be reapplied routinely.

Bragg said now is the best time to start a garden as the risk of frost is gone.

“Right until the middle of June, planting a garden is fine,” she said. “You will still have produce by the end of August. You can still plan flowers from now until the end of August if you really want to.”

She added it takes a very short amount of time for seeds to germinate, which will be just in time for any rain that comes.

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter