Can Itchy Grubs affect horses?

[Carly Rae]

Hello.

We have this tree in the horse yards, every year Itchy grubs breed and breed on it, literally thousands, and then they spread all through the sheltered area, all over fences, in water troughs. Then they go to my Nans greenhouse, our garden sheds, the carport, our storage containers and so on.. Dad JUST built a 20 000 dollar shed, the itchy grubs have spread all through it and Dad is highly allergic to them, so we have to try kill them off.

So my question is, since they are in my horses yard where I lock them up, can they hurt/have an affect on the horses?

When we got my dog Lacey in 2010, every year she would tear her nose apart, just kept scratching til it bled, then it would scab up and she would tear it off again, it wasn't pretty. It irritated her that much she would lay under the car and tear the grass up while growling. It took us 5 years to realize what was going on. At first we thought the cat scratched her and left some irritation. But the cat passed away, the next year it came back, we thought maybe sunburn or something. But we found that EVERY time we saw an itchy grub on the tree, it was the start of Lacey's irritation.

So now we treat Lacey's nose and we are trying to kill off the grubs. This year we got to them really early, killed them all off. So we thought the job was done, a couple weeks went by and we hadn't checked it, went down and there were thousands. But we have kept up with Lacey's nose with cream the vet suggested to us.

I went off topic there.

This is Lacey's nose from the other day. It is nothing compared to the years before. We hope that next year we can get in fast and kill them. Or find some kind of protectant for the tree. Not only do they breed on the tree, they kill it.

Any Suggestions?

 

[secuono]

Are their "nests" low enough to tear them down and burn them?

I've seen traps for caterpillars, down on the trunk, like a collar-moat that catches them.

 

[Carly Rae]

The first nest they had was low on the tree and they had either lifted a layer off the tree and nested under it or made the 'layer' themselves, either way it looked like bark. And we got under it and killed them all, well we thought we did anyway. But now we cant find where they are coming from anymore.

Today after I killed off a lot in the horse pens, I came back about 30 minutes later and they were back again.

 

[Jill]

What are itchy grubs? I'm not sure if we have them in the USA but call them something else? I at first thought you meant lice, but now I'm thinking otherwise.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

What are itchy grubs? I'm not sure if we have them in the USA but call them something else? I at first thought you meant lice, but now I'm thinking otherwise.

They're basically a hairy caterpillar. The hairs are as suggested, an irritant and cause itchiness to anything that touches them.

 

[Jill]

Thanks for the explanation. I don't think we've got anything like those around here.

 

[Carly Rae]

Sorry I didnt explain that. I dont know if thats its proper name but I have always known it as an itchy grub.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Can you take a picture and post it for me when you get a chance ?

What colour are they ?

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

 

[Debby - LB]

Aren't they the caterpillars that crawl around and form a long train.. the processionary caterpillar? I saw a Nat Geo special about those not long ago, they have barb like hairs that float around in the air and are a terrible nuisance allergan that causes severe itching and allergic reactions to people and animals.

The show caught my attention because just like our Eastern Tent Caterpillars they cause abortion and placentitis in pregnant mares.

Here in Georgia we destroy the ETC nests as soon as we see them, they are really bad in some trees.

 

[amysue]

I remember the Tent caterpillars taking over the trees in my area as a kid. Everyone was cutting and burning trees to get rid of them. We would help burn the nests and paint the ring around the tree trunk to prevent the bugs from crawling up trees. They got real bad for a while, seemed like every tree was full of nests.

 

[Jill]

Are tent caterpillars the same thing as gypsy moth caterpillars? I'm thinking so. I had no idea they can cause so many problems with horses but knew they were hard on trees. We don't get many right here, but see their nests all over the trees along the roads when it's the season.

I used to love them as a kid. Makes me want to gag now, but my friends and I would bust open sacks and keep the "pet" caterpillars in shoe boxes. I remember wearing white knee socks and playing with them on the sidewalk. I squished some by accident and they left green stains on my socks that would not wash out. So nasty

Until now, I had no idea they were a threat to horses. We'll make sure to get rid of any nests if they crop up here this year.

 

[Debby - LB]

yes sure are Jill and these "itchy grubs".. although different than our tent caterpillars, are as well.

 

[Ryan Johnson]

We get the tent caterpillars here too , I got Carly to message me the photo last night , with her mare being pregnant , I was worried it may be that one.

Do you think this is the same one ? And would Carlys mare be at risk ?

Ryan

 

[Ryan Johnson]

Ive tried to upload a pic of the one that we get here and to stay away from but wont let me upload it.

It has a yellow stripe down its back........

 

[Ryan Johnson]

This is the photo that Carly sent me , is it the same one that can cause pregnant mares to abort ?

 

[Silver City Heritage Farmstead]

When Carly Rae first posted this curiousity got the better of me and I googled it. Itchy is NOT good, I know from personal experience!

Re: Ryan's question. Here is a link to an Australian veterinary study:

http://www.equivetaustralia.com/horse-talk/equine-amnionitis-foetal-loss.html

I wasn't aware of this either and this part of North Carolina also has the tent caterpillars. I always thought it interesting that the heaviest infestations (as observed above by ) were along roadsides and very strictly groomed lawns.

Not to scare anyone, but to educate. I couldn't find much on treating the itchies using my limited resources. However, I did find this link interesting:

http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/02/13/3689704.htm

I wonder how they got the silk without getting itchy? I suppose it's like most Native American wisdom though....lost to the march of "advanced civilization." :-(

 

[Carly Rae]

I searched a bit and the ones here could possibly be called Leptocneria reducta. They look similar, but I cant be sure they are the same. I am just going by looks and its Australian. They turn into a ' White Cedar Moth' which looks familiar. Also I searched the ones that affect horses and it says they walk in lines. I have never seen these walk together in lines, they are just scattered everywhere and just sit in one spot, barley see them move much.

This is the site I used. The second photo is the one that looks similar. If that helps?

http://lepidoptera.butterflyhouse.com.au/lyma/reducta.html

I might just try keep the horses away for now until I know If they are safe or not. But we get them every year and we have had 2 mares foal here fine when the grubs were around. But its better to be safe than sorry.

 

[paintponylvr]

I know that when I searched, I didn't find much on how to get rid of the things. Just what they were and that they can/do gather by the hundreds and are an allegen. Figured I wasn't using the right search terms - but sometimes me and google just don't get along.

I think I'd check with an extermination company to find out what works best AND contact your vet to find out if they can affect your horses.

When we had an explosion of first the little green caterpillars & then grasshoppers, we "crunched" at every step. It was awful (and one of the years hay was SCARCE!)... Only experienced that one year and I'd prefer never to see it again!