How to Manage Pests

Seasonal development and life cycle—Tent caterpillar

Tent caterpillars overwinter in pale gray to dark brown eggs encircling small twigs or laid in a flat mass on bark. The larvae hatch and begin feeding in spring, and some species form silken webs on foliage. After feeding, tent caterpillars spin silken cocoons in folded leaves, on bark, or in litter, and the adults emerge in mid-summer. Tent caterpillars have one generation a year.