This moth is native to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa, but has made its way to all other parts of the world. It was introduced into Massachusetts in 1869 by a French naturalist who was experimenting with silkworms.
Gypsy Moth LIFE CYCLE Gypsy moths winter as an egg, often in masses of up to 500. As the leaves of trees emerge, the eggs hatch into reddish-brown caterpillars, that immediately start skeletonizing leaves to and fro. They avoid sun, and feed mainly at night.
Within 7 weeks, they mature into a grey caterpillar to 2 inches long. They then pupate in a frail cocoon, deep brown and hanging off the tree branches near the original cocoon, and emerge as a moth in about 17 days, which in most areas of North America is in late July.
The male moths are brown, with a forewing crossed by four wavy dark-brown lines. The body is light brown. The females are larger than the males, and are buff-coloured all over, except for slightly darker forewing markings as seen in the males. The females do have wings, but can not fly. Once in the moth stage, both males and females concentrate on mating and dispersing, and do not continue eating.
Control
May 1
Barrier Strip Banding
The technique of barrier banding prevents larvae from crawling up into trees from the ground; in heavy infestations it is truly amazing to behold. Hundreds of caterpillars will crowd the area below the band, while above appears only an infrequent crawler.
Many commercial products are available to perform this operation, including one called 'Tanglefoot Paste'.
Here is another way to do it... Wrap a single strip of duct tape, sticky side down, around the trunk. Press it firmly in place all around, so there are no gaps. Overlap the end of the tape at least two or three inches, as duct tape sticks best to itself. Next, apply a small amount of grease (such as that used by mechanics) around the top half of the tape. Use your fingers to spread. Be extremely careful not to get grease on the tree itself. Spread only on the taped portion. Petroleum products are harmful to trees.
