Dill speaks to the BDN about differentiating browntail moth and tent caterpillars

The Bangor Daily News interviewed Jim Dill, pest management specialist with University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for an article about caterpillars that Mainers mistake for browntail moth caterpillars. Dill said that tent caterpillars can be mistaken for browntail moth caterpillars, and while they are considered a nuisance pest in Maine, they do not have the toxic hairs that the browntail moth caterpillars possess. Tent caterpillar nests look similar to browntail moth caterpillar nests, but they are often found in apple trees as opposed to the oak trees where browntail moths prefer to build their nests. “Yes, they are a pest and yes, if a tree has a half dozen or so nests they will be a problem, but one nest in a tree will not do a lot of damage,” Dill said. The Associated Press shared the BDN report. U.S. News and World Report, the Sun Journal, WGME (Channel 13 in Portland) and other national outlets shared the AP summary.