Viewing post #1116086 by mellielong

Jim, I'll try to send butterflies your way!

Oh, Tussock Moths. As far as I know, they eat oaks because they fall out of the oak trees and then wander around spinning their cocoons on everything. They can cause dermatitis in some people so they are generally considered "bad". Several years back, it got to the point where we had so many it was like a plague. I actually sprayed BT very cautiously around the oaks - in the lower limbs and in the grass around them where the caterpillars fall. I also went on a rampage with a stick and my shoe. That knocked back their numbers by a lot, but they can still be a pest.

Here's a good page from UF talking all about Tussock Moths. The ones I see are the Fir Tussock Moths, although I have had the White Marked Tussock Moths in the past. http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/crea...