BANGOR DAILY NEWS • June 1, 2024
In the early 1980s, anyone in Aroostook County had only to utter two words to make people cringe: tent caterpillars. Black, blue and yellow-striped forest tent caterpillars surge every few years. Now they’ve returned with a vengeance to northern Maine. Infestations are so extensive that the insect larvae cover trees and buildings. Despite the “ick” factor, they’re harmless to humans. But as they crawl by the hundreds, they want only one thing: fresh, green leaves. An army of caterpillars can eat enough leaves to do some damage — and then they turn into moths and lay eggs.