European Gypsy Moths

The Lower Thames Valley Conservation Authority has issued this media release about Gypsy Moths.  According to the LTCA gypsy moth outbreaks occur every 7 to 10 years, with eggs being laid over the winter on the bark of trees, in the spring eggs hatch and the larvae move up into the trees to feed into July.  Then, spongy egg masses can be seen on tree trunks and branches, followed by pupae and adult moths in July and August.

According to an Ontario Government webpage about gypsy moths: https://www.ontario.ca/page/gypsy-moth , there are some control options that can be tried at various stages of its life cycle:

• August to mid April - remove the egg masses and discard
• Mid April to mid May - apply biological pesticide to the early stage caterpillars
• Mid May to June - attach burlap bands on tree trunks and discard late stage caterpillars
• June to mid July - remove by hand and discard the pupae

At this point spraying will have minimal effect on the larva and could kill beneficial pollinators like butterflies and moths.  It is anticipated that after 2 years of large populations, the gypsy moth numbers may begin to decrease as they have in the past.