These mating disruption products are formulated with the gypsy moth sex pheromone, and have been aerially applied to millions of acres since the early 1990s, which has successfully slowed the spread of the gypsy moth from the northeastern United States to the rest of the continent. Gypsy moths belong to the widespread family of tussock moths, some of which show cyclical population booms and crashes. Aid the Spread of Virus Fatal to Gypsy Moths. The gypsy moth has continued to spread at a rate of approximately 21 kilometers per year since Trouvelot introduced it nearly 150 years ago. This video gives some history on the Gypsy Moth and explains what the Ohio Department of Agriculture's Plant Pest section is doing to slow its spread. The fungus was introduced into the northeastern United States in the early 1900s to help control gypsy moth, but it was not found in moth populations until the late 1990s. Alternatively, attract birds by putting a small fountain in your yard. Gypsy moth females lay between 500 to 1,000 eggs in sheltered areas such as underneath the bark of trees. Gypsy moth undergoes four developmental life stages; these are the egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. If you care about your trees, then it is important to get rid of gypsy moths as soon as you realize that there is a problem. The first outbreak of European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) occurred in 1889.By 1987, the gypsy moth had established itself throughout the Northeast. Gypsy moths are susceptible to a virus (nucleopolyhedrosis virus). During a boom, or outbreak, they can cause massive defoliation most likely in uniform stands of tree species, particularly oaks. Spread and Population Growth Cycles The first outbreaks of gypsy moths occurred in Massachusetts in the late 1800’s. To get rid of gypsy moths, try putting up a bird feeder in your lawn, since birds tend to eat gypsy moth larvae when they’re looking for seeds. Defoliation of trees and shrubs is something that the caterpillars that turn into gypsy moths are notorious for doing. In 1869, Gypsy moths escaped a Massachusetts home owned by E. Leopold Trouvelot. Virginia participates in the Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread Foundation, which establishes a formal framework for cooperation among states and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to slow the spread of the gypsy moth. The eggs are covered with a … Gypsy moths are well established in New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions, and are slowly creeping their way into the Great Lakes, the Midwest, and the South. Category News & Politics These outbreaks have since spread northward into southern Canada and south as far as Virginia. The Gypsy moth caterpillars will feed on the leaves of many species of plants, but prefers oak trees. Since then, the range of the moth has spread very far in the Eastern US. By 1890, the State and Federal Government tried to eradicate the moth but failed. In 1869, gypsy moth larvae that were being evaluated for silk production, were blown from a window sill in Medford, Massachusetts. Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread. You sometimes see gypsy moth caterpillars hanging from a tree branch or trunk in an inverted "vee" position, as shown in the photo. Biology & Life Cycle. You should also burn or dispose of dead wood, like twigs and stumps, since gypsy moths lay their eggs in dead wood. Gypsy moth caterpillars picked the foliage off thousands of acres of trees in Massachusetts last year, ... this is the main way the insects spread. The westward spread of the moth extends across Pennsylvania, northern Ohio and throughout most of Michigan. Since then it has spread naturally, following gypsy moth populations as they move west.