Gary Kaufman, age 11, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for his question:

WHY IS THE CREATURE CALLED A TENT CATERPILLAR?

Tent caterpillar is the destructive larva of a type of North American moth. The creature received its unusual name because of a special talent: it can build a tent shaped nest that serves as a shelter.

The most familiar species is the apple tree tent caterpillar that is found on apple, cherry and other fruit trees in the United States and Canada east of the Rocky Mountains. The larvae hatch in earlyspring from a mass of eggs that were laid the previous autumn in cylindrical bands around the twigs of host trees. Upon hatching, they spin a silken web across the branches, forming a tentlike nest that provides a community shelter during the six week larva stage.

The caterpillars do not feed within the tent but congregate during the night.

When fully grown, the tent caterpillars are about 2 inches long, are covered with yellow hairs and are black with blue and white markings and a white stripe along the back.

Attempts to control tent caterpillars have been made by using arsenical sprays.