Glad to know the name now. Don't they sting?

I was parked at a local hospital recently and they were absolutely swarming - falling out of the trees and all over the ground. I must've knocked about 2 dozen off my car - I didn't want to bring any home with me. Yuck!

Have you tried spraying Bt?

Not sting, no. Supposedly their hairs are irritating and can cause a rash. Mostly I pick them off with a pliers.

I have NOT tried Bt - have you had any experience with it and caterpillars? Sounds like it might work:

"Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) controls tussock moth larvae, especially if applied when most larvae are young. Bacillus thuringiensis kills only caterpillars (butterfly and moth larvae) that feed on sprayed foliage. A second application of Bt about 7 to 10 days after the first is recommended because of its short persistence."

That's what I meant; the hairs release a chemical irritant when touched.

I use Bt on my veggies. What I have is called Thuricide. I had it in a dust form some time ago, but I think the liquid is easier to apply. I got it at Home Depot.

UFL entomology dep't. has some info on them:

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/URBAN/MEDICAL/tussock_moths.htm

This bit from the section on medical issues struck me...

"The caterpillars may be contacted when they drop from the host trees or when they wander from the trees in search of a place to spin their cocoons. Home owners develop dermatitis from contact with the cocoons while removing them from the soffits of houses. Hairs in the cocoons retain their urticating capability for up to a year or longer."

(bolding added by me)

grrr... moths make me MAD!!!! I guess one more reason to hate em. If anyone has any experience with these guys and Bt, please let me know. Seems worth a shot.

An inconclusive update. I sprayed Bt on my ornamentals about 5 days ago (it takes several days for the bacteria to take effect after the caterpillars eat it). I would definitely say the infestation is reduced, but, fortunately or unfortunately, the infestation was starting to taper off before I sprayed, so I cannot tell if the spray helped a ton or not.

In any case, the entire height of the infestation seems to have taken about 2 weeks, with a bell curve of fewer caterpillars before and after. There are tons of small white cocoons on the house and the live oaks. The caterpillars seemed to favor strawberries, elderberry, chestnut, oak, avocado, blackberry and bananas. Intermediate on black gum, maples, much of my garden, blueberries, grapes, tea bushes, azaleas, loquat. They seemed less interested in stone fruit trees, paw paws, persimmon and citrus.

Are you destroying those cocoons?

I would. And I'd cover up while doing it - esp. a hat & gloves.