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Thousands of marauding caterpillars trap car in silky web
Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | May 28, 2009

Posted on 06/04/2009 11:55:28 AM PDT by Schnucki

Most drivers would be delighted if their car came with a silk-lined interior.

Whether it's such an appealing prospect on the outside is another matter.

This is the sight that greeted one unlucky motorist when he returned to his vehicle in Rotterdam.

Under a giant silk cocoon created by an army of caterpillars, the shape of a Honda is just about visible.

The car was mistaken as food by spindle ermine larvae, which had already begun to strip a nearby tree of its leaves.

Spindle ermines weave silk webs to protect themselves from birds and wasps, allowing them to gorge on leaves for six weeks before transforming into butterflies.

Eight species live in Britain and their webs can be seen throughout the country.

Their favoured tree is the spindle - which is often used in car parks and for lining motorways.

Stuart Hine of the Natural History Museum said: 'It only takes a few days. But we aren't talking about anything from Indiana Jones here.

‘They can bear a bit of weight but the car owner will be able to back the car out and clean it.'

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: caterpillars; pests
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1 posted on 06/04/2009 11:55:29 AM PDT by Schnucki
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To: Schnucki

Excellent bait for crappys.


2 posted on 06/04/2009 11:58:03 AM PDT by envisio (Sexual Beer & BBQ Ribs)
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To: Schnucki

and nobody noticed this? Why is nothing else nearby covered? Thats very strange.


3 posted on 06/04/2009 11:58:39 AM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com <----go there now,----> tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: Schnucki
Ok, now that they caught the car what are the caterpillars going to do with it?
4 posted on 06/04/2009 11:59:52 AM PDT by Cheburashka ("Ah, Roulette. My favorite game, after Call of Duty.")
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Comment #5 Removed by Moderator

To: GeronL

Look at the sidewalk and the lamp post to the right of the car.


6 posted on 06/04/2009 12:01:22 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Schnucki
"‘They can bear a bit of weight but the car owner will be able to back the car out and clean it.'"

Did this guy really think people would assume the silk would stop the car from moving?

7 posted on 06/04/2009 12:01:28 PM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: Schnucki

Wow.


8 posted on 06/04/2009 12:02:28 PM PDT by VaBthang4 (He Who Watches over Israel will Neither Slumber nor Sleep.)
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To: Schnucki

Looks like a “Green-Car” experiment gone bad. If the vehicles is made of too much organic material, it could be eaten.


9 posted on 06/04/2009 12:02:31 PM PDT by TexasNative2000 ("What's in YOUR wallet? MY MONEY!")
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To: Schnucki

Well, I guess caterpillars dig Hondas.


10 posted on 06/04/2009 12:03:15 PM PDT by RexBeach ("Do your duty in all things." Robert E. Lee)
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To: Army Air Corps

I just noticed that. Pretty crazy.


11 posted on 06/04/2009 12:04:06 PM PDT by GeronL (http://libertyfic.proboards.com <----go there now,----> tyrannysentinel.blogspot.com)
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To: Cheburashka
"Ok, now that they caught the car what are the caterpillars going to do with it?"

Why, go cruising for social butterflies, of course!
12 posted on 06/04/2009 12:04:36 PM PDT by Hegemony Cricket (The emperor has no pedigree.)
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To: GeronL

global warming...
anthropogenic, of course...
oh, and only caused by American capitalism, not Chinese or Indian CO2 emissions.


13 posted on 06/04/2009 12:04:43 PM PDT by MrB (Go Galt now, save Bowman for later)
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To: GeronL
and nobody noticed this? Why is nothing else nearby covered? Thats very strange.

Well, it looks like they prefer a Honda to some crappy American car ;)

14 posted on 06/04/2009 12:04:51 PM PDT by SMM48
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To: GeronL

Kinda reminds me of the silkworm nests that I saw in east Texas as a young’un.


15 posted on 06/04/2009 12:05:32 PM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four fried chickens and a coke)
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To: Schnucki

Looks like Gulliver had bad allergies in urban areas of Lilliput.


16 posted on 06/04/2009 12:05:35 PM PDT by IrishPennant (RLT = Radical Left Terrorism...feel it????)
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To: GeronL

Why do I think there’s a big ole tree above this car and this thing “dropped”.


17 posted on 06/04/2009 12:09:35 PM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: Schnucki
Are those the killer Gitmo caterpillar's?
18 posted on 06/04/2009 12:11:59 PM PDT by dancusa (The word "racist" is a magic shield word that's supposed to stop any dissent.)
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To: Schnucki

Whoa. That is so freakish, like from a horror film.


19 posted on 06/04/2009 12:14:45 PM PDT by Niuhuru
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To: Schnucki

Somebody should have gone to Ninevah.

20 posted on 06/04/2009 12:15:21 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand
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