The gypsy
moth has been an important pest of hardwoods in the Northeastern United
States since its introduction in 1869. Established populations exist in
all or parts of 19 states from Maine to Wisconsin and south to Illinois
and generally in a southeasterly line from Illinois to northeastern North
Carolina.
Oaks
are the preferred host species for feeding caterpillars, but apple, sweetgum,
basswood, gray and white birch, poplar, willow and many others serve as hosts.
Gypsy moths avoid ash, yellow-poplar, sycamore, black walnut, catalpa, locust,
American holly, and shrubs such as mountain laurel, rhododendron and
arborvitae. Older larvae will also feed on a number of conifers such as
hemlock, pines, spruces and southern white cedar.
Because the
ecological range for this pest is extensive, there are still many states that
can expect infestations in the future. Without intervention, this pest spreads
about 13 miles per year. Artificial movement dramatically hastens the spread by
the insect hitchhiking on items that are moved long distances such as nursery
stock, vehicles, forest products, and outdoor household articles such as deck
furniture. Federal and state regulations require that items to be moved from
infested areas to uninfested areas must carefully be inspected and certified to
be free of gypsy moth life stages. |
|
|
Adults
and egg mass (July-August) - male moth is brown; female is white
with brown markings |
| |
Adults females with egg masses
(eggs-August-May) |
|
