It’s like an episode of Fear Factor – being surrounded by millions of creepy crawlers, so thick you can literally hear them moving.It’s the reality for some residents in the Lakeland District north of Prince Albert.
“We can’t even get out an enjoy the backyard. Everything is covered,” says Erin Dyck, the director of the Christopher Lake Daycare and Preschool.
The kids at the daycare are stuck inside, as their slides, toys and playhouse are coated in a thick layer of tent caterpillars.
“Several of the kids are afraid of bugs,” says Dyck. “If there’s a few, and they can find a clear spot, it’s ok. But when it’s covered like this, we just can’t go outside”
Local resident Karen Smith has been trying to control the unwanted guests in her yard as well, but there are just too many.
“I’ve been spraying them with water. I don’t want them to cocoon onto the side of the house,” says Smith.
The infestation happens on an annual basis, but residents say this year is the worst they’ve ever seen. They are itching to get rid of them, but the options are few. The effects of tent caterpillars can be minimized by placing buckets of water beneath trees to attract and drown them. Or, wait for morning or evening when the caterpillars are in their nest – wind it around a stick and dispose of it. Sprays containing BTK can help to control populations, but experts say it should be used sparingly and as a last resort.
The caterpillars should start to disappear by mid-July, when they cocoon and emerge as moths. Tent caterpillar infestations can last two to three years.
