Caterpillars...

Saw a whole lot of cut branches in the CEPA parking lot last evening.. not sure yet, how we responded to our landlord's request to cut down or trim the tree that was overrun with caterpillars, because they (the caterpillars) were interfering with the neighbours' grandchildren's play!  Hope we trimmed the branches as Karin suggested (thank goodness for our resident environmentalist and tree lover!) and didn't bring the whole tree down. Will find out tomorrow. 
The request itself is worth a moment of thought.  As Karin pointed out, caterpillars are seasonal.  When I was a child  we just learned to avoid the trees with caterpillars, and if we were unfortunate to be get them on our skin, we were treated for the itch. There was no question of cutting down trees for our comfort!  Seem to remember that caterpillars turn into butterflies and moths, that they are food for the birds, and are essentially a part of the green environment. Given that it takes several years to grow trees, I am more than a little worried as to the ease with which we sanction cutting them down!
Tried to google more information about caterpillars, and their value in ecosystems. Unsurprisingly the most number of sites that turned up were for "Caterpillar" equipment, tractors and whatnot.  The following excerpt from the Jakarta Post in April this year after an explosion of caterpillars in different parts of Indonesia has the following paragraphs which are interesting:

There has been no single reason as to why the outbreaks have occured. The fact that the incidents involve more than one species of caterpillars is also interesting. There are many questions, such as why have only the numbers of caterpillars exploded and not the numbers of other insects that share the caterpillar’s habitat.

There have been many theories proposed to explain the caterpillar outburst. Damage to forest ecosystems from land clearing and natural disasters, for example, is believed to have contributed to the migration of moths from their natural ecosystem to urban and agricultural areas. On the other hand, the population of the caterpillar’s natural enemies, such as birds, has decreased significantly.
Makes me think that this could have been played out in the micro ecosystem of number 29.  Cutting down the 'madati' trees (also at a neighbour's request)  reduced the number of parakeets in the garden, which would have been natural caterpillar predators, which then increased the population of caterpillars!!!

Any further information about the use (and abuse) of caterpillars, is most welcome....


Comments

  1. russ1 November 2011 at 03:18

    I believe your caterpillar problem at your CEPA grounds may have to do with the ubiquitous problem of 'Climate Change' caused by increased levels of CO2. Tropical and temperate climates and its delicate ecosystem of complex food webs are the first to feel its effects. 'Earthwatch' scientists, through their experiments with plants, caterpillars and the parasitic wasps that attach their larvae to caterpillars, have documented the impact of climate changes to the interactions between these three species. Their studies indicated that caterpillar numbers grew faster with increased temperatures and before their natural predators (wasps) matured - thus de-linking their bio control life cycles. (Not in the research conducted were parasitic flies and nematode worms that are also responsible for controlling caterpillar numbers).
    As to whether the flight of the neighbourhood parakeets may be responsible: Sri Lanka has four species of parakeets, and none of them are known to consume caterpillars. (The yellow-breasted Kakariki parakeet, native to New Zealand, is one species of parakeet that does).
    Question: how does the caterpillars in your office garden effect your neighbour and his kids at play?
    Comment: you seem to have neighbours who have no value for trees and other living creatures- and a little understanding of how ecosystems work.

    ReplyDelete
  2. pri1 November 2011 at 06:13

    True about our neighbours! And thank you for the information about the parakeets...

    ReplyDelete

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