We had tent caterpillars bad for years in our cherry trees, and about five years ago the forest tent caterpillars were bad in the Sugar Maples. Sounded like rain from all the guano falling from the big trees. Finally there was some type of fly that grew in population by planting their eggs into the caterpillar and they mostly died out. Bats were thick from eating all the bounty in the moth stage. Then the caterpillars went away and we were engulfed with heavy honeydew last year. My white barn roof is still mostly coated with the black moldy honeydew from last year. This year, the honeydew is still bad, and the caterpillars are going nuts again... but not to the defoliation stage yet.
Seems like Ma Nature is all out of wack...