Swarms of tent caterpillars spotted on Saskatchewan trees

'Tis the season — swarms of forest tent caterpillars are cropping up in Saskatchewan.

Trees along Regina's Prince of Wales Drive were spotted teeming with the squirmy critters on Saturday afternoon.

They're also showing up in droves in Saskatoon.

On May 25, the City of Saskatoon posted a release saying workers noticed the population of tent caterpillars is higher this year in that city.

While few people are fans of the pests, the City of Saskatoon said it does not control tent caterpillar populations because they don't often significantly harm trees. They do, however, eat green foliage.

• Tent caterpillars on rise in Saskatoon this year
• VIDEO: Christopher Lake tent caterpillar infestation (2014)

And the caterpillars are likely to stick around for a while. According to the City of Regina's information page on the pests, the caterpillars do not reach full maturity and transform into moths until late July.

How to prevent or get rid of tent caterpillars

The information page suggests the following ways to get rid of tent caterpillars once they've grown large enough to swarm:

• Hand-pick and destroy caterpillars in areas where they cluster together in the evening or on cool days.

• Place a sticky collar around the base of susceptible trees in June to trap migrating caterpillars.

• The city page states the least toxic chemical option to treat tent caterpillars is called "Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstakiaki," also known as "Organic Insect Killer, Bt.k."

The City of Saskatoon said another option is to blast the bugs with a pressure washer. However, people in Regina should keep in mind the ongoing request from the city to reduce water consumption.