Eastern tent caterpillar
Scientific name: Malacosoma americanum (Fabricius)
(Lepidoptera : Lasiocampidae)
Facts: The eastern tent caterpillar feeds on cherry, peach, plum, and hawthorne. The larvae form a tent in the crotch of a tree very early in the spring. Larvae feed inside the tent and expand the size as they grow. Larvae are quite hairy and have a conspicuous white line down the middle of there back. There is only one generation per year and most of the year including the winter is spent in the egg stage. Egg clusters are laid on small twigs on the host plant. Adults are seldom seen except for a few weeks when they can be found under lights.
There are other species of tent caterpillars in Texas and some of them do not even form tents. The forest tent caterpillar has a series of key-hole shaped white markings on the back and it can be a problem in landscapes and forests.
Photo credit: Bastiaan (Bart) Drees, Extension Entomology, Texas A&M University
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