tent caterpillar

noun

1. any of the larvae of several moths of the genus Malacosoma, which feed on the leaves of orchard and shade trees and live colonially in a tentlike silken web.
2. the North American larva of M. disstria forest tent caterpillar, which spins a dense net.

tent caterpillar

noun

1. the larva of various moths of the family Lasiocampidae, esp Malacosoma americana of North America, which build communal webs in trees

Word History and Origins

Origin of tent caterpillar¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55

Example Sentences

These birds are caterpillar connoisseurs, feasting on even hairy species like spongy moths and tent caterpillars, and are known to home in on areas experiencing outbreaks.

From Seattle Times

The online class from 12:30-2:15 p.m. will cover identification of blossom brown rot, bacterial canker, cherry mottle leaf, shothole, cherry bark tortrix and tent caterpillar.

From Seattle Times

I saw some tent caterpillars, webworms and even small green canker worms earlier and thought a strong assault was on the way, but it hasn’t materialized.

From Seattle Times

After that, my TV work was limited to giving interviews when local stations needed an expert to talk about garden-related news, such as an outbreak of tent caterpillars.

From Seattle Times

Scott Lint of the Forest Resources Division says an infestation of forest tent caterpillars rarely is fatal unless a tree has other stresses.

From Seattle Times