St. Lazare plagued by so many caterpillars they're burying them in pails

Haley Blouinloves her brand new house near St.Lazare, Man. about 120 kilometres northwest of Brandonbut right now she wants to setfire to it because of the dense carpet of forest tent caterpillars covering almost every surface.

"They are just all over, like in oodles of big packs,"Blouinsaid. "They're just disgusting, all over the place."

The forest tent caterpillar infestation is approaching its peak, with several areas in Manitobaincluding the province's southwestern corner seeing a particularly high number of the creepy crawlers.

Blouin's property seems to be especiallypopular.

"We've been putting them in five-gallon pails, digging holes and then burying them," Blouin said.

"Probably not the most humane thing to do."

They've buried five pails so far, but that hasn't made a dent in the number of caterpillars on and around her property.

Blouin has also used a hose to try and spray them off her house so she can leave the home.

"We have absolutely no leaves so it looks like we're either in the fall or middle of winter because there are no leaves in our yard," Blouin said.

Taz Stuart, former city of Winnipeg entomologist and current director of technical operations at Poulin'sPest Control Services, said the caterpillars are at the top of their 10- to 13-year peak in Manitoba.

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"We're probably in it or on the latter side of it, so you should start seeing numbers decrease over the next couple years," Stuart said.

Saskatchewan is also seeing a massive infestation of forest tent caterpillars.

• 'At first you just think it's dirt': Forest tent caterpillars invade Brandon trees
• They just keep coming': Tent caterpillar invasion coats Sask. home in insects and feces

For now, the insects are a creepy problem for Blouin, who saidHighway 41 near herhome looks like it's moving because of the layer of caterpillars crawling across it.

"It's like a black smudge across the laneway. It's just crawling," Blouinsaid.

The good news for thosewho don't like the caterpillars is that they should be reaching their highest numbers of the season now, Stuart said.They will soon begin to pupateand turn into moths.

"I hope so, because I don't know if I can deal with this for any longer. It's disgusting,"Blouinsaid.

"I've been going to my mom and dad's house every day to go and just walk around because I just can't stand hearing them crunch and fall off of my house."

She said the situationis bad enough thather husband, Josef,has even tried burning the insects.

"He put gas on them and then burnt them. It was like a bonfire," Blouin said.

"It smelled like hot dogs."

Tent caterpillars in Manitoba

7 years ago

Duration 0:04

Tent caterpillars cross HIghway 41 near Saint-Lazare, Manitoba.