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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 7:19am | IP Logged
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ALL OVER MY FRONT YARD. What to do?
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JennGM Forum Moderator
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 7:21am | IP Logged
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Have the boys squish as many as they can.
Truly, my mil fights these in PA for years and years, and the ag extension says to try and kill them by hand. So she has for years. Icky business.
There's also the burlap bag around the tree to capture them and then kill them, but do you have trees in your front yard?
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Maryan Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 7:32am | IP Logged
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Ugh... I'm with Jenn sic your kids on them. My dad used to remove the tent and burn them... but if they're all over your yard, you might have missed that "opportunity."
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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msclavel Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 7:35am | IP Logged
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I'm spending most of my time trying to stop my children from nurturing them and keeping them as pets .
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 7:36am | IP Logged
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Maryan wrote:
Ugh... I'm with Jenn sic your kids on them. My dad used to remove the tent and burn them... but if they're all over your yard, you might have missed that "opportunity." |
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We did. I saw the tent and waited for Mike to get home. By the time he got home, the tent was empty and they had dispersed. Story of my life.
Like Maria, I'm having a hard time persuading my children to execute them.
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Maryan Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 7:41am | IP Logged
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My mother and father expertly painted a picture of them as some kind of evil force -- all 6 girls were very good at killing them. But in our defense, when my youngest brother came along... he was the best at it.
I'd say bribe them with cookies or cookies for the one who kills the most... but I don't want you quoting me and getting on their bad side.
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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guitarnan Forum Moderator
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 8:50am | IP Logged
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If squishing isn't their style, have them retrieve the caterpillars with sticks and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. (Yes, someone has to empty the bucket later.)
Show them pictures of damaged trees - that should change their minds.
__________________ Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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JennGM Forum Moderator
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 9:01am | IP Logged
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I agree with Nancy. Show what destruction they do, how they have few enemies, how we want to avoid the insecticide on our properties, how they are cooperating with the extension agency. Your children have a "job" to do. These sites were interesting to me, especially the top one.
Gypsy Moth in Virginia
Gypsy Moths in North America
Fact Sheet
__________________ Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 9:16am | IP Logged
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ROFL! When we found the caterpillars I sent a child who shall remain nameless to the computer to identify. She did a google image search and ended up at Jenn's first site. BUT she didn't read the copy carefully. We have VII-4 under Some caterpillars that are often confused with those of the gypsy moth. I guess Stephen can go back to naming them now.
ETA: Tent Caterpillars aren't so good either.
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Maryan Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 5:30pm | IP Logged
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Okay... that's hysterical. I've been thinking about this all day.
Here were my thoughts after you posted that Stephen could go back to naming them: "Wow... I've always considered tent caterpillars a nemesis too. In fact, I've probably brutally killed more of them than gypsy moth caterpillars... and I definitely wouldn't let my children name them or get emotionally attached to them in any way... I would just kill them... man... I'm a meanie."
I was thinking there was something I didn't know since I've never studied them and this is just inculcation of "evil tent caterpillars" on the part of my parents when I was young.
But I couldn't shed years of thinking bad, bad, bad tent caterpillars.
So I was returning here to give you my "kill the tent caterpillars" view...
and I see you already edited yours ....with proof of bad, bad bad tent caterpillars!!
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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Elizabeth Founder
Real Learning
Joined: Jan 20 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: May 05 2008 at 6:23pm | IP Logged
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I have so many tent caterpillars that my kids have given some of them "regular" names (Fred) and some of them names-backwards (Derf). The game of the day has been trying to name your caterpillar a palindrome (Ava, Anna,Eve, and Hannah). Whatever keeps them busy...
__________________ Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Maryan Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 06 2008 at 7:20am | IP Logged
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"Derf"
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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donnalynn Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 06 2008 at 4:17pm | IP Logged
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I guess I had blocked out the memory of these creatures until this past Sunday when the teeny tiny catapillars they are right now decided to invite themselves to ds's FHC picnic. It all started coming back to me as soon as I saw them - the rain of poop - the weeks where you don't dare leave an article of clothing outside - not to mention the clothesline that will sit empty - the sweeping of the deck every morning - the horror after a rain when the poop swells to amazing proportions - yes it's all coming back to me now.
On Sunday, I had quite a few of them on me from brushing them off a table - my legs and arms now itch like crazy! From looking around on the web I think it from these creatures. It is awful - I asked dh to bring home anti-itch stuff and I'll be soaking in an Aveeno oatmeal bath this evening. I have never itched this much!
Last year dh was at one our local State Parks (NJ) and one of the signs was set up in a question and answer format -
Q. Why does it always sound like it's raining?
A. You don't want to know.
I kid you not!
__________________ donnalynn
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teachingmom Forum All-Star
Virginia Bluebells
Joined: Feb 16 2005 Location: Virginia
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Posted: May 07 2008 at 12:07am | IP Logged
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I just noticed a large webbed thing in the crotch of a young crabapple tree the other day. Thanks to this thread, I now know it is a tent caterpillar web.
So what exactly do a do to get rid of this thing now???
__________________ ~Irene (Mom to 6 girls, ages 7-19)
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Maryan Forum All-Star
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Posted: May 07 2008 at 7:33am | IP Logged
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My Dad did the burn method... but maybe remove the tent and try Nancy's method?
__________________ Maryan
Mom to 6 boys & 1 girl: JP('01), B ('03), M('05), L('06), Ph ('08), M ('10), James born 5/1/12
A Lee in the Woudes
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