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We have had an absolute population explosion of this particular species across the reserve this year. So much so, that they have become rather a pest at some of the lodges and camps (thankfully not at ours though!) I have seen a photo of a guest bathroom from one of the other lodges, which is literally covered in these caterpillars! Apparently, the last time this species was last seen in such numbers was in the summer of 2009 which was also a wet and unusually humid one like this past season. My specimens were all taken from a Rhus (gueinzii I think) next to our house, however the Jacket Plum (Pappea capensis) trees in the area seemed a lot more popular. So much so that the large tree opposite our house has been totally stripped bare! My specimens were collected in early March, and all took just over 3 weeks from pupation to emergence. Unfortunately I wasn?t very good at keeping track of the exact dates, but hopefully I will be more prepared next time!
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