Caterpillar season is here and in full bloom. Many businesses and homes are seeing an increase in caterpillars all over their plants, sidewalks, and even cars. Most of these caterpillars aren’t harmful, and all of them will go away with summer quickly approaching. But how do you deal with them now? And which ones you should be scared of or from the ones that are harmless.
Caterpillar Life Cycle
Moths will hatch from eggs in the springtime, generally, February-March, feed, and then form a cocoon. They will attach themselves to items in your landscape and eventually emerge from these cocoons. It will stay a caterpillar for about 5 weeks and then will move into the final transformation to become a butterfly.
All about Caterpillars
Caterpillars have long bodies with 6 legs. They have a number of legs that are false that are only there to help them move and cling to things. They can increase their body mass up to 10,000 times in just a few weeks. Some caterpillars even have underwater respiratory structures that allow them to survive in aquatic habitats. They will spin silk cases, which provide them with protective shelters. In Florida alone, there are a lot of different species.
Harmful Caterpillars
Several different types of caterpillars can cause misery to humans who touch them. This is especially important for adults who have kids running around in the backyard picking up everything. Some have hairs and some have spines. When coming in contact with the skin it can cause pain, rashes, itching, burning, swelling, and blisters. You can remove the spines by applying and removing tape to strip the hairs and spines out of the skin. If the area continues to itch, you can also put a paste of baking soda and water.
Prevention Methods
The major hosts of these insects are oak trees. But they also feed off of small shrubs. They can both be affected, but you can help them simply by spraying off the cocoons with your garden hose. Another deterrent can be to place cardboard or tin foil at the base of the plants. Barrier fabrics can also be a good help since it helps keep eggs from being laid on the plants.
With caterpillar season being in full bloom, all of us at RH Miller Pest Services take pride in making sure that you can have peace of mind. Servicing cities like Conway, in Central Florida for over 29 years, we have the expertise to get the results you desire! Caterpillars, Bugs, Wildlife, or Lawn; we do it all. Find out why we have a 5 STAR rating on Google today! Give us a call at 407-339-7119.
