File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
I need an ID on a troupe of caterpillars I found.

The caterpillars are predominantly black, with eight yellow stripes running down along its back and sides, with a single yellow band down their undersides. They're mediumish caterpillars, about an inch and a half to two and a half inches each. They appeared in a troupe, about fifteen of them, and I rounded up the ones I did not unintentionally kill (There were two- One was under a leaf, and the other was underneath the lawnmower, which I moved to see if there were more under it and it was apparently on the tire). They also have two black horns on the section behind the head, and numerous tiny points on the other sections. They also have very tough skin, and when picked up either go totally limp or totally rigid. I suspect they are social caterpillars, since they all appeared at once, and are too big to have just hatched.

Picture is from google, since my camera is broken.

What are these? What do they eat? What do they turn into?
>> Anonymous
>>308953

Fuck, why didnt I think of that!?
>> Liska !!LIVFOETqL8j
>>308939

they look kinda like Gypsy Moths; I could be wrong, if they really are, get them the hell out of your yard, they're really destructive and will kill your trees. Spray em ! Our whole town got invaded by them once
>> Anonymous
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/search_advanced.asp?curGroupID=2
>> Anonymous
>>308960

Thanks for the advice.
>> Anonymous
Not gypsies. They're orange striped oakworms.
>> Anonymous
>>308968
Oh, and they feed in groups from July to September and they eat oak leaves.
>> Anonymous
>>308970

Thank you!
>> Anonymous
Wow, these fuckers are eating like crazy, I put leaves in there and they still haven't stopped
>> Anonymous
They need a lot of energy to metamorphose. Eating and storing that energy is the entire purpose of the caterpillar form.
>> Anonymous
>>309059
I see you followed my advice.
>>308953