Is anybody else having a problem with Gypsy Moths this year?

[pennsywoodburnr]

My area seems to have a really bad population outbreak. Most of the caterpillars look like they're attacking trees in the white oak family. My red's seem to be escaping mostly unharmed. I travel about 7 or 8 miles on the backroads and see almost everyone else has been affected too in some way. After doing some research I found that they lay a cluster of fuzzy brown eggs near the trunk of the tree. I'll probably go around in the fall and see if I can burn some of them up. The caterpillars were eating so heavily and crapping so much it sounded like copper bb's hitting the ground after falling out of the sky!

 

[Oldmaple]

Haven't seen any around here yet. You do see some outbreaks here sometimes, usually north of here where there are more oak stands. Do make quite a mess. My experience is that they prefer the red oaks so don't know why they are after your whites so bad.

 

[Storm56]

I have almost 350 acres in NE PA and had some damage but much less than area's a few miles away. Probably will get clobbered next year! They were harder on my red oaks than the white. Went out for a motorcycle ride today and saw area's that were stripped almost bare. Not good...

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

Haven't seen any around here yet. You do see some outbreaks here sometimes, usually north of here where there are more oak stands. Do make quite a mess. My experience is that they prefer the red oaks so don't know why they are after your whites so bad.[/QUOTE]

I'm not sure why either, but they did a number on my chestnut oaks. From what I understand they're not real fussy eaters and have even been seen chewing up evergreens when the oak supply dries up!

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

I have almost 350 acres in NE PA and had some damage but much less than area's a few miles away. Probably will get clobbered next year! They were harder on my red oaks than the white. Went out for a motorcycle ride today and saw area's that were stripped almost bare. Not good...

I see clusters of oaks on my way into work that look like pure standing dead....

 

[mikey517]

They're killing us in Sussex Co., NJ. Everything is covered with poop, and most of the red oaks are leaf-less. Walking the dog in the early AM sounds like rain, but it's actually the munching of the leaves.

Seems to be subsiding some as they enter into another phase of their cycle.

 

[Storm56]

The trees can generally tolerate being stripped one year. However being stripped two years in a row brings a 70% chance that the tree dies. Back in the 90's there were many many trees that died from the devastation. I actually saw the roads loaded with the caterpillars to the point they were slick. What a mess to clean up on the vehicle!

Oak trees are probably their favorite but they will eat most species with pines and hemlock being a last resort. Back in the heyday when things were really bad the state sprayed and released a certain fly that ate the larva and they were gone for about 20 years. Now the state says there are no funds for such activities. Of course they have plenty of money to waste on lots of other worthless programs...

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

They're killing us in Sussex Co., NJ. Everything is covered with poop, and most of the red oaks are leaf-less. Walking the dog in the early AM sounds like rain, but it's actually the munching of the leaves.

Seems to be subsiding some as they enter into another phase of their cycle.

Wow, Highland Lakes. Yeah, you're way up there near the NY State border. We got guys at FedEx that deliver out your way and they say that area is a hike from our station. Most of our caterpillars are cocooning now and either hatched as moths, or getting ready to hatch.

 

[woodchipper95]

Half our ridge was leafless 90% came back. Heard if they get hit back to back they will all die. Ill post up a picture its on my phone.

 

[woodchipper95]

 

[sweetjetskier]

I have seen large numbers in Shoreline CT for close to 4 weeks now, telltale sign has been caterpillar "poop" everywhere!!!

That and if you listen, you can hear the caterpillar's munching away on the leaves.

The weather conditions, long duration of dryness have allowed the caterpillars to flourish this year.

If it had been wet, a natural fungus would have minimized the numbers.

 

[Chris-PA]

I noticed a bunch on a small white oak I pass on a walk I take at lunch. It's an industrial park built on what was once prime farm land, and a few old tree lines still exist, which I like to walk along on nice days (everyone else walks on the pavement or sidewalks of course!). I had decided to look around my place more carefully, and now even more so after reading this.

 

[Jed1124]

This has been the worst outbreak in many years. Fungal pathogen that kills gypsy moth has been knocked down due to 2 very cold winters and the dry spring. Larva are in 4th in star now and will not respond well to sprays or systemics. Hopefully next year the fungus will be back. Oaks will need repeated defoliation to be killed. One year is like you or me skipping breakfast.

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

View attachment 432090

When I'm crossing over into NJ on my commute I can see large chunks of state land that look exactly like that.

 

[Dalmatian90]

After doing some research I found that they lay a cluster of fuzzy brown eggs near the trunk of the tree. I'll probably go around in the fall and see if I can burn some of them up.

Once you know what they look like, you won't forget.

As a 12 year old I used to go around with my air gun, with no pellets or BBs, and just blast the eggs masses. I'm guessing once scattered on the ground not many survive the winter.

Been 30+ years since I've seen a bad year around here. Do see one or two caterpillars a year -- "Oh look, a gypsy moth! Cool." *squash*

I remember a couple years so bad my Mom would give me the chore of washing them off the house with a garden hose...and I'm talking about having a few, I'm talking an army of caterpillars crawling up the side of the house.

 

[Deano31]

I am from sussex county nj and it seems as all the oaks are getting hit white red and chestnut oak some of the mountains from a distance look like all the trees are hit

 

[husqvarna257]

Trees around here are getting stripped. Like others I remember years ago it was bad but then it has been fine for years. I almost fell on my wood boiler pad because there was so much poop I was sliding on it

 

[Dalmatian90]

Drove through sections of RI today and it reeked ... dunno if it's the caterpillars themselves or the poop, but I had forgotten what they smell like!

Whole area is also rated either "Abnormally Dry" or "Moderate Drought" at the moment. I even had same Daylillies turning yellow this past week from lack of rain!

 

[Jhenderson]

Daylight all the way to the ground here. Almost every oak has been stripped and a lot of beech wich I don't remember from '82. Now that the oaks are stripped and the caterpillars are large enough they've moved on to white pine. When they're young their jaws won't fit around the needle but they do now. You'd think the affected states would band together early on to spray BT but I obviously am missing something.

 

[Circle B MN]

I found a DNR moth trap just down the road from house. Can't say I've seen much evidence of em round here myself but it's hard to tell with the oak wilt, dutch elm, ash borer, pine beetle, and asian long horn all working at the same time.