Guemes Island, Washington Under Attack: Western Tent Caterpillars Invade in High Numbers

• The population of Western Tent Caterpillars experiences a surge every nine years in the Pacific Northwest.
• However, this current surge is exceptionally high due to a warmer and drier season, as well as other factors.
• “They crawl all over you, even up your neck and into your pants,” one resident shared with a local news station.

The residents of a small community near the Washington coast are currently grappling with an unprecedented challenge this summer: Millions of caterpillars have overrun their island.

Randy Rinehart, a resident, remarked to King5, a local news station from nearby Seattle, “You can see them squirming in the grass, and they’re even on the walls of my house. They climb up your neck and end up in your pants.”

According to the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Western Tent Caterpillars typically reach their peak on Guemes Island and in other parts of the region approximately every nine years. This means that long-time residents are familiar with the presence of these unsettling creatures.

However, experts note that the current abundance of caterpillars is unparalleled.

“I have never encountered such a situation in Washington,” said Glenn Kohler, a forest entomologist at the Washington Department of Natural Resources, during an interview with King5. “And I’ve been with DNR for 15 years.”

Residents report having to sweep the caterpillars off their porches and sidewalks daily.

“Oh my God!” exclaimed Mimi Jung, a reporter from King5, upon stepping out of a car on Guemes Island and finding the ground covered in caterpillars. “They’re everywhere.”

According to Kohler, the unusually high number of caterpillars this year can be attributed to three ecological factors: a lack of predators, a lack of viruses, and a warmer and drier season.

To make matters worse, Guemes Island residents will not be greeted with a swarm of beautiful, vibrant butterflies later this summer. Instead, they will experience an influx of brown moths, as stated by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.