tent caterpillar
noun
: any of several social caterpillars (genus Malacosoma and especially M. americanum of the family Lasiocampidae) that form large silken webs on trees and may cause serious defoliation
Examples of tent caterpillar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Most healthy trees can tolerate severe defoliation from eastern tent caterpillars.
—
Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
My cherry tree had tent caterpillars on it last year.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
Occasionally, eastern tent caterpillars have outbreak years where large numbers of the tents can be seen on the same tree.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
Indeed, recent years have documented tent caterpillar eggs hatching in mid-April.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
Western tent caterpillars Caterpillars with black bodies and white/yellow/blue markings.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024
For Mount Cabot Maple, drama hit the sugar bush in 2016 and again in 2017 in the form of a tent caterpillar infestation that defoliated so many trees that syrup production dropped 60 percent.
—Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
The emerald ash borer, eastern tent caterpillar, and browntail moth all feed on these and other hardwood trees.
—Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 2 Feb. 2023
The western tent caterpillar is pretty common in western Oregon and is probably the culprit.
—oregonlive, 25 July 2021
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
My cherry tree had tent caterpillars on it last year.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
Occasionally, eastern tent caterpillars have outbreak years where large numbers of the tents can be seen on the same tree.
—Pamm Cooper, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2024
Indeed, recent years have documented tent caterpillar eggs hatching in mid-April.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2024
Western tent caterpillars Caterpillars with black bodies and white/yellow/blue markings.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024
For Mount Cabot Maple, drama hit the sugar bush in 2016 and again in 2017 in the form of a tent caterpillar infestation that defoliated so many trees that syrup production dropped 60 percent.
—Amanda Gokee, BostonGlobe.com, 9 Aug. 2023
The emerald ash borer, eastern tent caterpillar, and browntail moth all feed on these and other hardwood trees.
—Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 2 Feb. 2023
The western tent caterpillar is pretty common in western Oregon and is probably the culprit.
—oregonlive, 25 July 2021
Dictionary Entries Near tent caterpillar
Cite this Entry
“Tent caterpillar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tent%20caterpillar. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share