Mystery caterpillar

whisper · #1 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 02:27 PM

Can anybody help to indentify a mass of caterpillars on one of my apple trees?
At the moment they are quite tiny and are mostly inside a sort of web. They are black & grey striped ( the stripes going round the body not up & down) They have shiny black heads. I tried to get a photo but at the moment it is raining & they are very tiny. They are smooth not hairy & they don't have any tufts of hair.Hope someone can tell me what they are & also whether my apple tree is going to get stripped bare

Lance Morgan · #2 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 03:21 PM

Apple tree, black and grey stripes hairless, and tiny would indicate an early instar of something. It could be Apple Ermine Yponomeuta malinellus if the larvae are burrowing though I would opt for sawfly larvae.

whisper · #3 (**permalink**) 03-06-2008, 04:11 PM

Thanks, Lance, for your reply. I have looked up sawflies & it would appear that they are white or cream with black heads. These are definitely black & grey. Also the sawfly is more maggoty looking. These look like caterpillars. When they move they bring their tail to their head & then move their head end forward. Hope that makes sense.