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Contact: Charlene Donahue, Forest Entomologist
(207) 287-2431
PEST ALERT
I had a BROWNTAIL caterpillar
infestation and now I have cocoons!
What to do: Use caution - cocoons are full of the hairs THAT CAN CAUSE A
RASH. Remember that these hairs will persist until next year or longer.
If
you want to remove the cocoons (different from the overwintering webs):
- Wear
protective clothing
- Wet
down cocoons before removing them
Pressure
wash or scrape cocoons off structures or clip out of favorite plants:
- Put
a drop cloth under area to collect them
- Let soak overnight in soapy water and compost
or dispose in trash
Browntail
caterpillars wander and form their cocoons anywhere in the area. Favorite
places are:
- Under
the eaves on a building, on the underside of anything
- In the leaves of any plant
 Larvae forming cocoons under eaves
 Close up of two cocoons inside webbing – they look similar to spider egg sacs
 Browntail cocoon inside leaves
 A leaf removed to show the inside of a browntail cocoon – one or many pupae can be inside
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