Datana ministra

Lepidoptera: Notodontidae

Identification
• Young caterpillars are reddish; older caterpillars are black. Both ages have several white stripes. Fully grown caterpillars can be 2¹/₂" long. Older caterpillars have an orangish-yellow area behind the head. (a)
• Caterpillars feed as a group without being in a web. (b)
• When approached, all of the caterpillars in a group quickly raise their front and rear ends in unison.

Damage
• The caterpillars feed on the edges of leaves and commonly defoliate branches or small trees.
• Hosts include oak, walnut, hickory, pecan, maple, and many other trees.

Management
• Hand remove colony or prune it off.
• Spray with bacterial insecticide.
• Tolerate late season damage.

Other Information
• Fully grown caterpillars may descend from trees and crawl on the ground searching for a place to pupate.
• Caterpillars commonly migrate to the tree trunk in unison to molt to the next larval stage.