Tent Caterpillars To Spike In Northland During The Summer Of 2014

Northlanders know that Tent Caterpillars - otherwise known as "Army Worms" - come and go in cycles. The summer of 2014 is expected to be the high-point of that cycle, with a infestation that we haven't seen in decades.

Aerial surveys, released in a report this week, show forest tent caterpillars quadrupled their coverage area from a quarter-million acres of forest defoliated in 2012 to nearly 1.1 million acres in 2013.
That big jump is usually a bellwether for a major infestation, said Jana Albers, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources forest health specialist.

There are some factors that still remain to see just how massive this summer's outbreak will be - one of those includes the harsh winter of 2013-2014.