By: Fred Lishman

Native to Europe, Asia, and North Africa. Brought to the US between 1868 and 1869 by Professor L.

Trouvelot. To breed hybrid silkworms to establish a Silk industry in

the United States. By 1865 Trouvelot had over a Million Caterpillars. In 1869 some escaped and started to spread rapidly his

hometown of Medford Massachusetts.

By 1914 they had spread to New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

1941 they were in Northeastern Pennsylvania and in extreme eastern New York State

1981 they were all over Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Also they have spread to Michigan, Wisconsin, Virginia, West Virginia, and Oregon.

Has four life stages EggsLarva Pupa Adult

Egg stage, female gypsy moths will lay as much as 1,000 eggs in August.

Egg mass is covered with a Buff- colored hair to protect the eggs

Larva will start to develop during worm days after the eggs are laid

Dormant in Winter.Eggs will hatch in mid

May.

Also known as the caterpillar stage.

About 1.5 to 2 inches long Looks worm like and covered in

stiff hairs When they are young they are

black As they develop, colored wart

looking spots appear on their back.

The warts are red on the back half and blue towards the head.

AKA the Metaphoric stage

In the shell the body of the caterpillar is changing into an adult moth

Outer shell is reddish brown

Attaches itself to a rock, tree trunk, board, logs etc.

this stage occurs for about 10 to 14 days.

This stage of life lasts from July into August.

Females are a cream color wings a brown body and a 2 inch wing span

Females cannot fly Males are smaller than

females 1.5 inch wing span Are brown with a feathery

antennae. One generation per year

Completely destroys all leafy plants while in the Larva stage

Defoliates trees Can eat up to one square foot

of leaves per day Stresses trees Some trees they like are…

Crab apple, Oak, Linden, Poplar, Beech, Willow, Birch

Some trees they hardly bother are… Ash, Sycamore, Indian bean,

Honeylocust, and Dogwood.

Not exactly…Infestations will stress a tree However many infestations on the same tree

will eventually kill it

Natural predators Birds Viral disease “wilt” Entomopathogenic fungus Mice Shrew

Humans Spray

DCNR Targets over 100,ooo acres per year all over Pennsylvania Cut out and burn egg masses Put a barrier around a tree with a sticky substance.

Duct tape

http://www.gypsymothalert.com/control.htmlhttp://www.fs.fed.us/ne/morgantown/4557/

gmoth/http://www.elmgrovewi.org/gypsy_moth.htmhttp://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/

eurogypsymoth.shtmlhttp://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/

gypsymoth/index.aspxhttp://urbanext.illinois.edu/gypsymoth/

biology.html