There is something in New York State that has people doing a double take when they pass by them. From Syracuse, to the Adirondacks, to the Southern Tier, these things are everywhere! You can feel the fall starting to settle in across New York State. As the cooler air returns and the shorter days follow, Mother Nature has plenty of creepy crawlers waiting to thrive.
But what exactly are these things that are suspended from the trees and bushes? Are they safe? Are they invasive? Do they bite? Those are just some of the questions we had on our recent trip around New York. READ MORE: When Does The Fireplace Ban Start In New York State? With the gap of a couple of weeks between the summer camps ending, and school starting, we took our kids on a road trip from Buffalo, to the Adirondacks, to New York City, and back. It was so fun! But I couldn't help but notice the fall webworms are in big numbers this year.
WHAT IS A TENT CATERPILLAR? Tent caterpillars are described as: "Forest tent caterpillars (FTC) (Malacosoma disstria) and eastern tent caterpillars (ETC) (Malacosoma americanum) are native to New York State. Population numbers vary over the years from very few and not noticeable, to many and very noticeable defoliation of trees". As far as being harmful to humans, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation says on it's website tha t: "Contact with these insects is generally not harmful with a few exceptions.
Some individuals may develop skin rashes or irritatio.