Defoliating caterpillars not expected to ravage North Shore

Forest tent caterpillar populations are expected to expand somewhat from last year but the insect is not expected to be a problem in the northern third of the state. If they were to be a problem along the North Shore, they would be starting to defoliate now.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reports that last year, just over 70,000 acres were defoliated, primarily in the middle one-third of Minnesota in a crescent that extended from south of Mille Lacs Lake through St. Cloud to Wilmar and up through Detroit Lakes. There were also a few other isolated areas of defoliation.

Acres of defoliation are likely to increase in this same area with possible expansion to the north and east, but a full-fledged outbreak is not expected.

The DNR says in the past two years, people have reported finding a caterpillar or two in their yards in scattered locations in northern Minnesota. This suggests there may be small, dispersed areas of defoliation seen in the northern part of the state but the population is not predicted to cause millions of acres of defoliation.