Oh, yes, I am indeed going to show you something so gross that it will give you heebies so big you won’t even get around to getting the jeebies afterwords.
Gaze, gaze, my readers.
Oh, yes, I am indeed going to show you something so gross that it will give you heebies so big you won’t even get around to getting the jeebies afterwords.
Gaze, gaze, my readers.
Tiny Cat Pants 
Um, I know you warned us, but holy cripes…
That’s just not right. Plus I made the mistake of google imaging them.
Now, I know that in nature there’s place for all creatures, and that those guys probably feed a certain bird, or disperse a specific seed. I know these things rationally. But if they were near my house I would totally have to wage war, even if it meant calling the men with chemicals.
Bleh.
I always thought these were gypsy moth caterpillars. We always called them Tent Worms.
http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef423.asp
It doesn’t say anything about pulling out butt hair, but it might be helpful nonetheless: http://www.catswhothrowupgrass.com/kill.php
I am completely grossed out by them, but nothing I’ve read indicates that they really hurt anything, so I’m kind of content to live and let live.
Saraclark, we call them bag worms, but I’ve heard them called tent worms, too.
We had them in a couple of arbor vitas in the yard. When you walked close to the bush, they would get agitated and shake the whole tree. Cre-e-e-e-e-py. I was glad to cut those suckers down.
I just always wonder what they’re doing when they are gathering up in groups before moving up the tree. Talking to each other? Rubbing and passing along information like ants and lobsters? Strange. I always wanted to touch them to find out what they felt like, but my mom warned me that they might sting, I don’t know if they do or not.
Lord, dear, those aren’t bag worms. Those are Eastern tent caterpillars — apparently a national convention of Eastern tent caterpillars, in fact: “Tenting Tonight in B’s Back Yard: Eastern Tent Caterpillar Conference 2009.” Tent caterpillars will eat up your trees, ma’am. Unless you have a national bird conference there, too, to eat them up first. Put out some half-filled bird feeders on the trees where the caterpillars are massing and watch the birds have dinner and dessert. And possibly drinks and dancing.
These are bag worms: http://www.pestproducts.com/bag-worm.htm . ~shudder~ They get on evergreens and kill them and they are nasty buggers who should be set aflame and roasted in their tiny evil designed-to-look-like-dying-evergreen-leaves houses. Aaaaargh. Why, yes, I do have issues with bag worms, thanks for asking.
I have so many birds in my yard that I think this must just be what the birds haven’t eaten yet.
Saraclark, I don’t think that they sting, but they do get all agitated, like CeeElCee says, and shake things. And I don’t want them to get on my house and shake it to pieces.