Tent caterpillars are back in Sault Ste. Marie. This video footage was captured outside a downtown business Friday afternoon.
The creepy crawlies tend to invade our neck of the woods every 10-12 years and will hang around for a couple of summers until the population dies off due to disease. At least that's what Dr. Taylor Scarr, director of integrated pest management with the Great Lakes Forestry Centre, told SooToday back in 2014.
Tent caterpillars feed mostly on the leaves of hardwood trees, such as birch and maple, and can cause 'severe defoliation', he explained. However, trees that get nibbled on by the invasive species normally refoliate with no lasting damage.