HELP!! the infestation here on an old farm on Bowen is the worst EVER! Our heritage apple trees (full size) are being completely denuded. Normally we physically remove egg clusters and caterpillars- but the scope is way beyond that. Alder, cherry, apple trees are badly infected. The questions are: What options are out there to curb the damge? And- if, as it appears, the trees will be denuded, what likelihood is there that the fruit trees can recover?
Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californica) populations are very high in this area this year. In almost every case, the damage done by this caterpillar is not so serious that plants are endangered. Healthy plants will invariably rebound in the same season to the point where earlier damage is not even visible. For further information, see this link to an excellent fact sheet from the Washington Toxics Coalition.