A reader sent us the photo pictured above and wrote: “These showed up a couple days ago. They are all over the patio furniture and the deck. What are they and how do we get rid of them?”

After looking at the picture, we are confident that these creatures are caterpillars, not worms. They have black and yellow stripes lining their backs, and black heads. What kind of caterpillars are these?

There are so many species of caterpillars, many of which have similar appearances and characteristics. This can make identification a challenge. However, we believe that this might be a Clostera inclusa moth larva. These caterpillars are native to North America. They eat plants in the willow family and are social animals!

We aren’t sure why these caterpillars enjoy our readers deck so much. We encourage our reader to clean up his outdoor area, sweeping up leaf litter and other foliage that is lying around. He can also introduce predatory species, like birds or insects, into his garden that might enjoy these caterpillars as a snack. If he is interested in exploring chemical options, he should visit a local home owners store.

To conclude, a reader sent us a photo featuring yellow and black caterpillars. We believe these are clostera inclusa moth larva.

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