Processionary Caterpillars
These hairy, grey caterpillars are the larval stage of the bag shelter moth (Ochrogaster lunifer). During the day groups of 300 or more caterpillars hide together at the base of a food plant (often a wattle or gum tree) in a nest of silk, leaf litter and frass. As they move around, each one lays a trail of silk from the spinneret near its mouth. Other caterpillars of the same species follow the trail nose to tail, like a miniature freight train. These processions form either to find a new food source or a suitable pupation site on the ground. They live by the ‘safety in numbers’ rule. Together they present a formidable number of irritant hairs to predators, and they never get lost!
The adult moths are grey, with a yellow banded abdomen ending in a white tuft of hairs, and a wingspan of about 4cm (2″).
Burke’s Backyard does not advise anyone to touch processionary caterpillars, because their hairs can cause an itchy skin condition.
