Gypsy moths

[Tarm]

Spent the day scraping off Gypsy moth egg masses. Hand to hand combat I call it. My woods is about 50% oak, red & white and 50% maple, soft & hard. The moths showed up in the area a few years ago and have been increasing since. A few miles away from my land a stand of oaks were  completely defoliated last summer. This is my second year of egg scraping but I would say that after removing 90% of the egg masses last year there are 5-10 times as many this spring. So my question to you landowners and/or foresters from out east where Gypsy moths have been around for a while; AM I WASTING MY TIME? I've been told that the population will crash it is just a matter of time. BUT I would like the population to crash without defoliating my woods. Yes dominant trees should put out a new set of leaves but suppresed trees would most likely die. (So I'm told) I would like to be able to harvest those understory trees for pulp in my next thinning. Is my egg scraping in vain or am I just prolonging the inevitable defolitation.   Thanks

[woodman]

   I hop you are burning the eggs not just taking them off. Years ago i would go around with along pole and paint the high ones with black tar.

[Jeff]

We had major outbreaks a few years ago. I tried the scraping thing. What it will do, as you look up at your bare trees, will let you say, "At least I got a few of those little 8!@#%^&*".

As many as you think you got, your not even denting em. They are everywhere. A couple years ago we re-did part of our house that has t-1 11 fir siding on it. We had to pull the siding off, and I could see where tens of thousands of them had hatched up underneath. Never knew they had been under there. For every mass you scrape off there are 3 more on top of or behind that you don't see.

We are under a BT spray program now. Some neighborhoods actually sprayed 7 the first of those bad years and knocked everything out with legs and wings. Not a very bright thing to do. Took out the bees and everything.

I hate even thinking about those little beggers again. When I walked around scraping, I had a can of deisel I scraped them into, then dumped that in the burn pit.

[Bud Man]

Your better off taking your lumps with everybody else cause if you end up with the only foliage left they'll mass and take out all their vengence on your Little Eden Plot, less you get a group thing going and even then....well there persistent !!  >:(

[Ron Wenrich]

Tarm

You're just wasting your time.  I went through the brunt of gypsy moth when it went through our area about 25 years ago.  It defoliated ridge after ridge of timber.  Nothing stopped it.

Pennsylvania state officials decided that they were not going to spray, and Bt was not yet developed.  They were putting their money into parasitic wasps and other natural cures.  Their thinking was that spraying would be a non-ending and expensive process.  At some point, the spraying would cost more than the timber they were trying to protect.

The state had hoped that the moth, which were coming from the east, would stop when it hit the Susquehanna river.  In Harrisburg, it is about 1 mile across.  The next year, it hopped the river and kept on going.

You can only see about 5% of the egg cases.  There are upwards of 400 eggs in each.  Start looking under rocks, fallen branches, and the like, and you will find more egg cases.  

The moth will defoliate everything and populations crash only when they cannot find enough food to make it to the larval stage.  That may be after several years of heavy defoliation.

I have seen stands with 90% oak mortality.  We don't have much hard maple, but the red maple seemed to survive a little better.  Most of the mortality comes in stands with lower vigor, due to overstocking.  Surpressed trees were usually the first to go.  

3 years of heavy defoliation is where most of the problems arise.  That leads to the most mortality.  Most trees can withstand 1-2 defoliations.  

From a salvage standpoint, the sapwood will not be worth anything on the dead trees.  Heartwood will be OK if harvested before the bugs get to it.  That may be several years, if there is shoestring rot that pops the bark off.

[Ron Scott]

They are particularly hard on the oak as a favorite. Then the hard maple etc. as they go through all food sources. The egg masses will be found everywhere in mass so one will never get rid of them, but maybe a satisfaction as you will get some.

I find them regularly on trees while cruising timber and do remove and dispose of the obvious ones within reach. Watch the home and buildings as Jeff said, the wood pile, lumber pile, camper, vehicle fenders and frame etc.

They are easily moved from area to area by attaching to vehicles, especially by recreation vehicles going from campground to campground.

Most communities will have a BT spray program. The Feds. and State Forests will often spray their high value sites, such as oak stands, recreation areas, etc. This contol is applied until there is a down cycle.

[Ron Scott]

I see where the Department of Entomology, Purdue University is looking to hire a Gypsy Moth Coordinator. Must be some Gypsy Moth activity in Indiana.

[CHARLIE]

So Ron....how does a person coordinate Gypsy Moths?  Teach them to fly in formation?  Maybe I'll apply for that job. :P :

[Corley5]

I destroy egg masses too.  I don't know that it does any good but figure it can't hurt ;D.

[Ron Scott]

Many of our County Governments here with a Gypsy Moth problem have a Gypsy Moth Coordinator position, full time, part time, other duties as assigned or whatever.

The little critters create a lot of work at taxpayers expense. The  local publics et al don't care for them.
The Coordinator has to coordinate a lot of various things. Maybe not the moths in formation, but all the aircraft and their ground markers. Sometimes there is quite an air show.

Some of the Coordinator's real work may include:
 
1) Egg mass surveys need to be completed to determine population densities. Landowners need to be informed of results.
2) Economic Analysis need to be done of the lands impacted, what are the cost benefits for spraying.
3) Local home howners, State, and Federal landowners etc. need to be coordinated for one overall area spray project over the various jurisdictions.
4) Ground spray and aerial spray contractors need to be solicited for bids and the contract administered.
5) Treated areas need to be evaluated after the control method has been carried out. Was it effective?
6) Then start over again with egg mass surveys

[CHARLIE]

Hmmmmm....that coordinator's job sounds like work. I don't think I'll apply. ???

[Ron Scott]

Charlie,

It might not be too bad a job there in Minnesota though during all those winter months. But then egg mass surveys might have to be done on snowshoes.