Prince George residents will have to put up with their fuzzy little neighbours for a little while longer.
The tent caterpillars that have been the catalyst of many a horrified reaction from locals are beginning to reach their maximum size and should start heading into their cocoon stage by mid-June, said UNBC professor Dezene Huber.
"A lot of them have eaten themselves out of house and home, too. I'm sure downtown there's very few trees for them to eat," said Huber, who specializes in the study of insects as the Canada Research Chair in Forest Entomology and Chemical Ecology. "They're probably running around looking for trees to eat and being generally a nuisance."
Forest tent caterpillars - which are native to North America - typically stick to aspen and poplar tree species, but can be motivated to try new things if they have to.
This year's insect outbreak is larger than in 2012, Huber observed.
"Last year we noticed quite a few [caterpillars] and there was no real die off last year as sometimes happens," he said, "so we expected it more this year."
According to National Resources Canada, the first tent caterpillar outbreak was recorded in 1791. The populations are cyclical, building to an unsustainable point until they eventually collapse.
It's too early to tell if the population will collapse after this year, which would mean a reprieve from the crawlers next spring. Whether or not there is an abundance of moths in a couple of months will be the biggest indicator.
There are a number of things that can lead to the caterpillars' downfall, such as running out of their food supply, disease and predators.
Other species such as wasps or 'friendly flies' lay their eggs on caterpillars or their cocoons, leaving the larvae to eat the caterpillars before they can emerge as adult moths in the middle of the summer.
"Sometimes it happens you end up with a whole ton of caterpillars and then a whole ton of flies. But they're good flies," Huber said of the insects which are called friendly but can be seen as a pest due to their preference for landing on upright surfaces, like people. "They're flies we want."
Living with the caterpillars is part and parcel of taking up residence in Prince George.
"We live in the midst of the forest," Huber said, "so we live with the things the forest brings. These creatures are a natural part of the system as well."
