The Steamboat Pilot & Today: Outbreak surprises resident

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Frank Welsh shakes caterpillars loose from a tree on his property, including this one. Photo by Brandon Gee

Caterpillars fill this tree, feasting on its leaves. An outbreak of an unknown species of caterpillar has hit Routt County, with as least four tree species losing foliage as a result. Photo by Brandon Gee

A cluster of caterpillars sit on a leafless branch 10 miles south of Hayden. An outbreak of an unknown species of caterpillar has hit Routt County, with at least four tree species losing foliage as a result. Photo by Brandon Gee

Frank Welsh holds one of the caterpillars that are infesting and devouring the leaves of trees on his 50 acres 10 miles south of Hayden. Photo by Brandon Gee

Hayden — Take a walk around Frank Welsh’s property 10 miles south of Hayden and it won’t take long to see the scale of the caterpillar infestation there.

If caterpillars sticking to your clothes or falling down the back of your shirt don’t convince you, a glance into almost any of the trees on Welsh’s 50 acres will reveal hundreds — if not thousands — of the leaf-eating insects. Give a tree a shake and the caterpillars will fall to the ground by the dozen.

Welsh first noticed the problem early last week during a horseback ride around the property with his girlfriend. The two were puzzled as they found themselves being covered by caterpillars. But the real annoyance came when Welsh saw what the caterpillars were doing to his trees — devouring their leaves, and fast.

“I’ve never seen anything like this at all, and we’ve been here for eight years,” Welsh said. “I’m really upset about it. I just want to see something done about it.”

While walking on his property Wednesday morning, Welsh laments the lack of vegetation on his trees — the caterpillars are targeting his aspen, scrub oak, sarvis and chokecherry trees — and describes how lush they usually are this time of year. Welsh said he wanted to spray the caterpillars immediately, but an adjacent property owner wanted time to learn more about them. The neighbor, Doug Kiesau, took some of the caterpillars to the Colorado State University Cooperative Extension Service Office in Steamboat Springs.

“I don’t know what they are,” said C.J. Mucklow, the county’s extension director. “They’re not in any of my books, which is weird.”

Mucklow sent the caterpillars to a diagnostic lab at Colorado State University and hopes to hear back from lab scientists before the end of the week. He said the Extension Office has received several calls about the insects and that the caterpillars appear to be spread from South Routt to west of Craig.

Mucklow won’t know much about the caterpillars, how their outbreak came about or what to do about them until he hears back from the diagnostic lab.

He is “pretty sure” it is a native outbreak, which is not necessarily uncommon for Routt County. Mucklow said the last similar outbreak was of tent caterpillars about a decade ago. Mucklow said the outbreak was mostly likely the result of a perfect storm of conditions that led to a population explosion.

Fearing the caterpillars will soon enter their larvae stage and lay eggs, Welsh still hopes to kill them by spraying as soon as possible. He plans to have the insecticide carbaryl, also known by its trade name Sevin, sprayed by airplane as soon as the weather permits. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, carbaryl is one of the most widely used broad-spectrum insecticides in agriculture and residential pet, lawn and garden markets. Among its ecological risks, carbaryl can be especially harmful to honeybee populations.

“No insecticide separates good insects from bad ones,” Mucklow said. However, spraying early or late in the day, as Welsh plans to do, can mitigate the risk to beneficial insects, and Mucklow said carbaryl is a viable option for those looking to eradicate the caterpillars.

Welsh is a plumbing contractor, so the caterpillars don’t pose any sort of financial setback. And while the caterpillars are proving an annoyance to many, Mucklow said there shouldn’t be any economic consequences.

“It’s not an agronomic problem,” Mucklow said. “It’s a horticultural and aesthetic problem.”

In the past, Mucklow said caterpillars have never killed a healthy tree in the county, although any tree that is weakened runs that risk. He said the county might see some bad growth for a time as a result of the caterpillars, but “this is not the end of trees in Routt County.”

— To reach Brandon Gee, call 871-4210

or e-mail bgee@steamboatpilot.com

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Community comments

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beentheredonethat
June 7, 2007 at 9:31 a.m.
› Suggest removal

I say let the caterpillars live. Nature, by design, knows what is best.

vic (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 10:30 a.m.
› Suggest removal

I guess you don't have any trees and plants - they are devouring mine as well. I guess we should also let the mosquitoes bite us and take the chance of West Nile.

Matthew Stoddard
June 7, 2007 at 11:03 a.m.
› Suggest removal

Hey Vic!!

vic (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 12:11 p.m.
› Suggest removal

Hey Morty - how is the project coming along? Still just practicing? Glad Earl won - he was my favorite and pick from the beginning. I was not surprised by the unanimous vote - I think he deserved it. And Jack just has me totally baffled - was that all just a dream? I am now, truly Lost.

Just what I need…a pet duck.

vic (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 12:17 p.m.
› Suggest removal

And a gangster duck at that…

JazzSlave (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 5:48 p.m.
› Suggest removal

I guess we should ignore all the summer lightning strikes & subsequent wildfires. After all: Nature, by design, knows what is best.

Matthew Stoddard
June 7, 2007 at 6:33 p.m.
› Suggest removal

No, no, Vic: that's “gansta” duck. Heh!
Still workin' and just lettin' it not be a worry.
Yay Earl! Played it nicely and pretty cleanly. I have to rewatch the last episode of LOST. It was flash-forwards to him after they've been rescued, evidently. Something happened and he wants to go back for some reason. I just can't figure out why. I was almost losing interest in it, and still got no answers. Instead, I got a “hook” back into really paying attention.

oofcboy (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 7:46 p.m.
› Suggest removal

these worms/caterpillars are called spotted cutworms they clim and may destroy 75 % of vegatation, 4 year b.s.in horticulture@mississippi state / MSU

oofcboy (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 7:49 p.m.
› Suggest removal

basilis thurengensous/dipel dust. It kills them from the inside out.Or you can use northern nematoads,

oofcboy (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 7:52 p.m.
› Suggest removal

cabaryl is also called 7 dust 5% or 10% liquid flowable seven can used also

oofcboy (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 7:58 p.m.
› Suggest removal

chickens eat all the time and anything that moves or wiggles

vic (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 9:06 p.m.
› Suggest removal

Where are these things coming from? I have never had any type of “pest” in my yard (other than the grasshoppers a few years back). I live downtown, not in the country and they are just destroying everything. I found them on the ground in my Begonias and Heliborus, then found a bunch today up in my crabapple tree. Then on the patio in my hanging basket of assorted annuals. They don't seem to be picky eaters and are mowing through leaves like in the cartoons. I have been spraying them with Othenex, which has been killing them almost instantly. I just cannot figure out where they are coming from. Initially I thought I had brought something home from the nursery. Where/how do these things nest? I am hoping Nature is doing the right thing by dipping back to frigid temps tonight. Hopefully they will all freeze to death. Thanks for the info and a name.

Morty - absolutely the right approach. My friend used that line of thinking for 8 years. During that time, a few things happened that would have made it difficult, nothing disatrous, but still making it obvious it was simply not the right time. After 8 years, it was the right time and then again 2 years later. I think of you and your wife often. As for Lost - I missed a couple near the end, then the last one just boggled my brain. I have it on tape, so should go back to watch it again. How about Heroes? Did you start with that one? It is our new favorite. Are you watching the new Pirate show? Still waiting for it to take off I guess.

vic (anonymous)
June 7, 2007 at 10:08 p.m.
› Suggest removal

I will pay closer attention to how they travel and get back to you. I agree they are not cutworms. Like I said, hopefully they will freeze to death tonight.

thecondoguy1 (anonymous)
June 8, 2007 at 8:06 a.m.
› Suggest removal

I wish they would just mow my yard and get the heck out of here, I don't have any chickens,,,,,,yet…………

corduroy (anonymous)
June 8, 2007 at 1:22 p.m.
› Suggest removal

this is equally as gross as the grasshopper problem we had in Steamboat 4? years ago. The sounds of crunching under my feet when I walked around downtowns still haunts me.. damn creepy things!

oofcboy (anonymous)
June 8, 2007 at 2:10 p.m.
› Suggest removal

oops my mistake I need glasses,but you still use the same control, chickens!