Help! I'm bein invadad by caterpillars!!!?

Question

About a week or so ago I started noticing a LOT of caterpillars in my backyard. There must be at least 100 of them. does anyone know why there would be so many of them?
TIA!:)

Answer 1

You must have a host plant and a food source for your caterpillars on your property. Some butterfly or moth has used that plant as a nursery and they only do that if you have what they need. Can you include a pic and one of us may be able to identify it. If not here is a link for caterpillar identification.
http://www.whatsthiscaterpillar.co.uk/america/hairy.htm
Be sure to note the very bottom of the link. There are other categories of caterpillar to choose from. Good luck

Answer 2

Depending on what type they are, you could have a huge family of beautiful butterflies in the making, so don't rush to kill them!

If they're not a dangerous type, like some in the US, that sting, you could always consider moving them somewhere else, such as a wild area.

They probably have their natural food source in your garden or nearby and may have been disturbed, or the plant died etc. (perhaps it got eaten to death?).

If you move them, try to find it some plants that would be their natural diet, so they can continue to grow. I see someone posted an identification site, I hope this proves useful.

Answer 3

Go to a hardware store or nursery.. Ask them if they have a spray you can spray in the areas that you have caterpillars.

It would contain bacterial in the spray. I had them on my apple tree and I got rid of them.

Answer 4

They have come out of their web like nest on the branch of one of your trees,,,,,,,,Yes there probably are well over 100 of them....If you locate the web, cut that part of the branch off and stomp the ones still in the web or if it should be safe and alot of them, burn the nest you have cut off.

Answer 5

The mature butterfly's chose your yard to lay her eggs. They usually don't hurt anything but they might if you have enough of them.