Observation date: July 08, 2024
Date notes: July 8, 2024, sometime in the afternoon.
Submitted by: NorthPeace
Specimen type: Photograph
Observation notes: Yesterday I discovered that one branch among the willows in our yard in Fort St. John, BC, had many sinister-looking black insects on it, about one centimetre long with a large head like a black bead and a thorny body. The creatures, most of which were congregated in one or two spots on the branch. were not moving at the time, but had stripped the leaves on that branch and left some small webs behind. I am not confident it was a caterpillar. In some ways they looked like misshapen ants, though they weren't busy as ants are. I would appreciate help identifying them, and advice about the best way to combat them.
Status: Resident
Verified by: jwileyrains
Verified date: July 12, 2024
Coordinator notes: After some guidance from BugGuide, I realized that these were N. antiopa sheds - so Lepidoptera after all. The food plant is right, too - N. Antiopa frequently feeds on Salix (willow). They also congregate as 1st instars in a silk nest, and the size of these sheds also seems correct for that.
