Free Press, CBC: City combats forest tent caterpillar outbreak
As the Winnipeg Free Press reports:
If you think you are seeing way more caterpillars than usual this year, you are right. “It’s pretty much at outbreak level now,” said Jordan Bannerman, an instructor in the entomology department at the University of Manitoba. Bannerman said the population of the forest tent caterpillar is “very cyclical in nature,” with an outbreak expected every 10 years.
Regarding this year’s situation, Bannerman said, “There’s nothing out of the ordinary, but it’s been long enough that it’s really startling when you see the sheer numbers of them.”
Forest tent caterpillars are invading Winnipeg, chewing their way through city trees, says Dr. Kateryn Rochon, University of Manitoba assistant professor of entomology. Rochon says forest tent caterpillars typically infest the city once every 10 to 15 years, but when an infestation hits, it can last two to three years.