10 Best Carpet Moth Traps

Best Carpet Moth Traps in 2023

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What Are Gypsy Moths?

The Gypsy Moth is a moth from Europe and North Africa. It defoliates shrubs and trees, often killing them. The first gypsy moths in America escaped from a lab in Massachusetts. They are migrating westward. Save your plants from gypsy moth damage.

Controlling the Gypsy Moth

While it is in the caterpillar stage (May through June), you can destroy the gypsy moth with either insecticides or with barrier bands. (For detailed instructions on using barrier bands, go to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources website: ). When the caterpillars are very young (under half an inch long), arborists use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) a natural, biological pesticide. The correct type of Bt only affects caterpillars of moths and butterflies and has no affect on people, animals, birds, or other types of insects. It is important to use the proper pesticide and apply it at the appropriate time. Because Bt is not as effective on older caterpillars, Bt must be used in April to May when caterpillars are less than one half inch long.

If you choose to use chemical pesticides, check the label for acephate, carbaryl, and malathion and make sure it states that it kills gypsy moths. You need to judge whether the benefits of using a chemical pesticide outweigh the negatives. Chemical pesticides kill indiscriminately and can have a great impact on beneficial insects and natural enemies such as predators, parasites, and honeybees. Since our nation's honeybee population has been dwindling, researchers advise that homeowners use insecticides responsibly. For assistance in choosing and applying insecticides, consider contacting a certified arborist. Kelly Graham at Eager Beaver Tree Service warns that most homeowners cannot treat the canopies of tall trees without risking personal injury. Hire a company that has the equipment and expertise to spray large trees.

You can scrape egg masses from trees from October to April. The gypsy moth egg masses look like clumps of brown fur. Do not throw the egg nests on the ground and step on them because this does not kill the tiny eggs. Some people microwave the egg masses for two minutes; others soak them in a bucket of soapy water for two days. You can kill the eggs on the tree by spraying it with horticultural oil. Do not use any other type of oil, such as motor or vegetable oil.

The Gypsy Moth Life Cycle

The gypsy moth life cycle begins in August when the female moth lays her eggs. The eggs winter over in brown, cottony masses. These masses contain up to 1,000 eggs, which will hatch in April or early May. The second stage is the caterpillar stage. When they hatch, gypsy moths are hairy, black caterpillars that are approximately one-fourth of an inch long. These little caterpillars climb into trees to feed on the leaves. They can create a silken thread, which helps them to float in the wind to other trees. Scientists call this "ballooning." This silken thread is the reason researchers brought these caterpillars to the United States. The goal was to breed a hardy silkworm. That was in 1869 and, over a century later, we are still battling the insect.

The gypsy moth is difficult to identify because, as it grows, the caterpillar changes its coloring and molts (sheds its skin). The young caterpillars have black heads and black bodies. By the fourth molting, the caterpillars have grown into the coloring (including the red and blue dots) that we recognize. In this stage of the life cycle, the caterpillars feed at night and hide in crevices in the bark or other safe places during the day. During the last stages of the caterpillars' larva cycle, they eat about 90% of the food that they will eat during the entire larva cycle. Since this feeding frenzy takes place at night, you can wake up to see that the caterpillars stripped your tree's leaves overnight. Healthy trees can miraculously survive this, but stressed or unhealthy trees will suffer seriously. Call expert arborists to analyze the damage.

After the caterpillar stage in life, the gypsy moth finds a safe place to turn into a pupa. Gypsy moths do not spin a cocoon like some caterpillars. They snuggle into safe havens such as under loose pieces of bark, between ridges of bark, in firewood piles, or on outdoor furniture. In its safe spot, the caterpillar sheds its skin. This new skin toughens into a hard, brown shell. After a week or two, the winged adult moth emerges from the pupal shell.

Adult moths have only one purpose: to mate. The white females do not fly, but use a pheromone -- a chemical 'perfume' -- to attract the brown male moths. In mid-July, they lay their egg masses, which will hatch during the next spring, starting the life cycle again. Adult gypsy moths do not eat.
A great source of information for on the gypsy moth for kids is EEK (Environmental Education for Kids). An excellent picture at EEK clearly shows the four life stages of the gypsy moth. The EEK! page for gypsy moths is .

Sources:

Kelly Graham at Eager Beaver Tree Service
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
University of Wisconsin Extension
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture,