Thousands of caterpillars descend on Lake Manitoba

Residents around Lake Manitoba are watching entire trees vanish before their eyes and massive caterpillar populations take over their homes.

Cary Anderson, who lives near Alonsa, Man., says the black, fuzzy, forest tent caterpillarshave taken over her community.

"When you look in the trees, you can just see them moving," said Anderson.

"Theyre very thick on the trees and on the roads. The roads just look like theyre moving because theres so many of them."

Anderson said thousands of the caterpillars have climbed up the sides of homes and have cleared out entire forests from Ashern to St. Rose du Lac.

'I could hear this really strange sound in the bush that Ive never heard before, and it was like tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. You could just hear [them]' Cary Anderson, Alonsa resident

"Oh, its cleared. Its cleared right out. All the trees are just bare for miles and miles and miles all around us," said Anderson.

She said she first noticed the problem two weeks ago when she was hanging her laundry outside.

"I could hear this really strange sound in the bush that Ive never heard before, and it was like tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. You could just hear [them]," said Anderson.

She added farmers are now worried the creatures will go after their crops.

For now, Anderson saidshe and her neighbours are trying to stay inside to avoid having the caterpillars fall or crawl on them.