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Northern tent caterpillar

R. Garbutt and C. S. Wood

Introduction

The northern tent caterpillar, Malacosoma californicum pluviale, is a common defoliator of a broad range of deciduous trees and shrubs in British Columbia. Outbreaks have most commonly been recorded in south coastal areas, including the east coast of Vancouver Island, the Gulf Islands, the Fraser Valley and the Sunshine Coast. Major infestations causing widespread moderate and severe defoliation in some or all of the above areas were first recorded in the early 1930's. Since then outbreaks have occurred in the mid 1940s, from 1955-57, 1961-64, 1968-70, 1974-77, 1984-88 and 1992-93. Widespread, mostly light and moderate defoliation occurred in north coastal locations in the Kitimat, Nass and lower Skeena river valleys from 1969-73, 1981- 83 and 1989-92. Throughout the Columbia River Valley in the interior of the province, sporadic, mainly localized infestations have been recorded in a broad range of deciduous species since 1948.

For more information, see the Northern tent caterpillar Forest Pest Leaflet in the Canadian Forest Service bookstore.