GYPSY MOTH CONTROL

    This article is about GYPSY MOTH control
It will explain why they are a pest and what
needs to be done for controlling infestations.
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   Gypsy Moths are small insects with a ferocious
appetite. They'll eat most any type of tree and
their spring feeding frenzy can defoliate forests.
Though their damaging behavior is most prevalent
for 2-3 months each year, the impact of their
feeding can be long lasting. This article will
provide some basic facts about gypsy moths and
then offer treatment options to help control and
contain local infestations.
   Gypsy moths are not native to North America. 
Brought to Massachusetts back around 1869, they
were imported for the intention of silk farming.
Some escaped and the impact of their presence was
soon discovered across our countryside. Gypsy
moths have a ferocious appetite and combined with
a strong ability to reproduce, it didn't take long
for them to migrate across our country. Presently
they are active as far south as Florida and they
continue to migrate through the midwest toward 
the west coast. They can feed on most any type
of tree including oak, apple, beech, birch, willow
and hemlock. Though it's rare that any host tree
will die as a direct result of gypsy moths, the
loss of leaves will indirectly cause other problems.
Fungus, disease and other parasitic pests will
find damaged host trees leading to stunted growth
and ultimately death. Needless to say, the end
result of "importing just a few gypsy moths" was
never imagined; at this time gypsy moths represent
the single most significant threat to our forests.
   Gypsy moths have a simple life cycle. Eggs
hatch small worm like caterpillars which feed on
trees. These larva are tiny - so tiny they're hard
to see at first - but their silky webs will
be both felt and seen everywhere once active.
They use this silky web-thread to move up and down
host trees. It will also enable them to migrate
from one tree to another as the small light body
of the larva is easily carried by the wind. This
spring feeding will occur for 2-3 months. It will
start in April or May and continue through July
or August. Once they have their fill, they will 
travel away from host trees where they will spin
a cocoon and undergo metamorphosis. Later in the
year they will emerge as adult moths ready to mate
and lay new brood eggs to continue the growth of
the local population.
   Once emerged, adult males have a strong desire
to find females. This pursuit will happen during 
the dark of the night. Females will mate and lay
eggs throughout the fall and die off as winter 
arrives. Before she dies, the average female will
lay thousands of eggs. Her egg masses will be found 
on the bottom side of tree branches and bark of
good host trees. Females also seem to identify a
good egg laying location as homes and other man
made buildings. This behavior seems to be one of
the main reasons why gypsy moths have found their
way into most residential neighborhoods. Ornamental
trees seem to be a food favorite and most any
homeowners yard will provide ample hiding places for
these egg masses. The average size of these masses
will be 500-1000 eggs and if left untreated, these
foraging young will cause a lot of damage in the
following year!

      HOW TO STOP THE INVASION.........
	  
   Now that gypsy moths are active in so many states,
the goal of eliminating them has pretty much been
abandoned. They are here to stay. If you have activity
in your community, it's just a matter a "when" they 
will appear on your property. Fortunately there are
a lot of treatment options. And though many local
state and county government agencies have control
programs in place, don't expect their effort to keep
your property free and clear of the damaging feeding.
If you want to keep them out or if you already have
actively feeding larva, there are a few things that
can be done.
   First, it's important to understand a few things
about how and when the larva feed. One of the unique
characteristics of gypsy moths is their natural 
instinctive behavior to feed at night. This behavior
helps to minimize the impact local birds and other 
prey animals would otherwise have; many birds like 
to feed on insects but almost all do this during the
day. Gypsy moths will hide from the light. They
will drop off trees via their webbing or crawl down
tree trunks and seek refuge in rocks, mulch or other
objects that surround host trees. They do this at
the first sign of light and there they will rest 
during the day, well removed from local predators, 
and lie in wait till darkness once again returns. At
that time they will crawl back out and go back to
their damaging feeding. This distinctive feeding
pattern means there are two ways attempt controlling
local populations.
   The most common way is to spray the host tree
on which the larva are active. This is important and
is probably the control method that will have the
biggest impact. There are many products that can be
used including biological and non-insecticidal materials.
Bacteria, in the form of THURICIDE, can be sprayed on
any part of the plant. This bacteria is harmless to 
people or animals but once inside plant eating insects,
they will die. It's a little slow to work so be patient
when using Thuricide and renew applications weekly till
the activity is stopped. A more direct and faster
acting material that is still harmless to people and
animals is INSECTICIDAL SOAP. Basically a derivative
of common cleaning soap this formulation does a good
job of killing on contact. However, it offers no 
residual and you will have to apply it over and over
during the course of the active season. You'll know 
when to reapply as larva return; expect to treat once
a week for a month or two in most regions. If you 
have a bad situation and need immediate and longer
lasting protection from your effort, use a true
insecticide like CYONARA RTS. This concentrate
is mild, labeled for use on vegetables and most any
plant and will kill gypsy moths quickly. Treatments will
last 2-3 weeks and the packaging is handy; just hook it
up to your garden hose and start treating. A more
concentrated Permethrin will provide a longer residual
and the best one is VEGETABLES PLUS. It's roughly 4
times stronger then the Viper but will have to be
diluted and applied with one of our SPRAYERS. It's 
also suggested that you add some SPREADER STICKER to
the tank along with the concentrate. Spreader Sticker
is an "additive" that gets the concentrate to work 
better. Basically it causes the Permethrin to "engulf"
or "spread" on treated surfaces. You will need one
of our sprayers to apply either the Thuricide or
Insecticidal Soap too but Spreader Sticker won't be
needed for them.
   Remember that larva will forage high for food and
they could be well beyond the reach of the average
sprayer so make sure you are able to get adequate
coverage when doing the application. If you have
a lot of dense plants to spray, the use of a fogger
may be more effective. Models like the FM6309 or
the FM6208 do a great job of carrying material far
distances. With a little breeze and a location
both high and upwind of a host tree, it may be
possible to use one of these foggers to adequately
treat host trees that can not be sprayed with
conventional liquid sprayers. These foggers can 
be used to apply any of the mentioned products and
they will prove highly effective for most any type
of pest control including both flying and crawling
insects.
  The second control method that could prove helpful
for any local population is the treatment of the 
ground and any object surrounding the host tree. Since
larva will readily move off host trees during the day,
be sure to spray the surrounding area. The use of some
CYFLUTHRIN GRANULES to these areas may prove more
effective then spraying - especially if the area is
largely mulch like straw or some type of bark. Apply
them with one of our GRANULE SPREADERS. These Cyfluthrin
based granules are odorless and safe for use around people
and pets but are effective on many types of insects
like gypsy moth larva. As the larva crawl down into
the mulch or over treated areas, they will absorb
the Cyfluthrin and die off. This will help to control
local populations and ultimately the long term
reproduction capabilities of the infestation.
   Lastly, the third tool you should incorporate is
the use of some traps. GYPSY MOTH PHEROMONE TRAPS do
a great job of attracting and killing moths which 
have nothing on their mind but reproduction. By 
catching as many reproducing adults as possible, the
use of traps is yet another way one can help to cut
down on the long term population of local gypsy
moths. Set out these traps around the property 
along forest lines and boundaries. Remember, the 
pheromone smelling capability of adult gypsy moths
is amazing. The lure in these traps is concentrated
and adults may be attracted from miles. For this
reason it's important to monitor the trap making
sure they don't fill in any one season. Inspect
them once a month and as soon as you see adults
collecting, move to weekly inspections. When the
trap fills, drown any still alive, empty and set
them back out. It's important to understand the use
of traps will not have any direct impact on the local
population you may be seeing. However, by killing off
potential reproductives you are contributing to the
long term control of this damaging pest.
   
   Gypsy Moths are a major pest across the United
States of America. If they are active in your region,
be aware of the damage they do with their ferocious
feeding and monitor your landscape for any signs
some have entered. Even if you don't have any active,
it's a good idea to apply some Thuricide to any
plant you would like to keep around if gypsy moths
are active. This "pretreatment" will help to minimize
damage should some find your plants. Once established,
a more aggressive approach will be needed. Use
a combination of sprays and granules for bad infestations
and set out traps to help keep reproduction minimized.
Gypsy moths are here to stay and if you value your
trees and other landscaping you won't want to give
them the chance to wreak their damaging feeding on
your property.
   
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