In early to mid-May, they make their presence known. They're seen across New York feeding on leaves, crawling on sidewalks, hanging from tree branches, and spinning white cocoons. Eastern tent caterpillars and forest tent caterpillars are an annual nuisance and many people are left wondering what to do about them. One man in Minnesota decided to turn them into wine.

"They eat leaves, so I thought, why not?" says Lake County, Minn., resident Ray Reigstad.

Usually, we wait for large, black, parasitic flies to eat the caterpillars, or we spray water and dish-soap concoctions trying to keep them out of our homes, or we fill the environment with pesticides. No matter how we look at it, the caterpillar infestation is annoying, and Reigstad's plan might be a safe solution.

Reigstad collects buckets of caterpillars at the end of their feeding cycle, before they have the chance to become moths. Moths are perhaps the bigger problem, because they lay the eggs that form the caterpillar population for the next year.

"Most people ask about the taste," Reigstad says. "You know how in autumn the ground is covered with leaves, and you walk in the woods and kick up leaves? You know that wet, leafy smell? That's what it tastes like."

Reigstad doesn't have a license to sell his "Army Worm Wine," which he says resembles a German Chardonnay in both taste and color, but hopes to soon.