Tent caterpillar

Tent caterpillar, larval stage of moths (genus Malacosoma) in the Lasio-campidae family. Striped, colorful, and hairy, the tent caterpillar is so-called because most of its species spin communal, tentlike webs in the forks of trees. Notorious for damaging trees in which they live, these caterpillars are capable of killing a small tree by eating all of its leaves. The female moth lays 150–350 eggs during the summer that hatch the following spring. Common to the southeastern and central United States, these caterpillars feed on oaks and other shade trees, as well as on conifers and fruit trees.