Return of the Bugs: Gypsy

Moth’s Comeback in the

Honeoye Valley
Matt Gallo
A little about myself
● Terrestrial Invasive Species Outreach Coordinator for the Finger Lakes
PRISM (Partnership for Regional Invasive Species Management)
● One of eight regional PRISMs in NY
What are invasive species?
An invasive species is one that is non-native to the ecosystem under
consideration and whose introduction causes, or is likely to cause, economic
or environmental harm or harm to human health.

● High reproductive rate

● Aggressive
● No natural predators
● Take advantage of human disturbance
● Low nutritional value (potato chips)
But how do they even get here?
● Either introduced intentionally or on accident
● International trade
● Pet trade
● Landscaping plants
● Hitchhiking on cars, boats, and planes
Costs
Economic:
Impacts on agriculture, recreation, wood/forest products, trade/shipping, tourism,
utilities (power plants) and management costs.

Environmental:
Impacts on biodiversity, structural diversity, natural processes, aesthetics,
ecosystem function and services.

Human Health:
Impacts on soil, water and air quality, flooding, injury, and disease/illness.
Costs
● Contributed to hundreds of species extinctions, and the decline of
thousands
● In the US alone ~$120,000,000,000 is spent every year controlling
invasives
Gypsy Moth Basics
● Scientific name: Lymantria dispar dispar
● Originally native to Europe
● Feed on over 300 species of plants (defoliator)
Gypsy Moth Hosts
Species of concern: Occasionally feeds on: Doesn’t eat:

● OAKS ● Maples ● Ash spp.

● Sycamore
● Pine (not typically ● Walnuts
● Dogwood
targeted) ● Beech ● Locust
● Spruce (not ● Cherry ● Catalpa
typically targeted) ● Hickory ● Tulip Trees
● Aspen ● Hemlock ● Scots Pine
● Herbaceous plants
● Poplar ● Fir
Eggs
Gypsy moths lay eggs on tree bark,
logs, and sometimes human
structures in August/September,
hatch in April/May

Each egg mass can contain 300-1000

eggs, but do not harm your trees

Scrape eggs off trees into soapy

water, keeping an eye on how many
egg masses there are year to year
Caterpillar
Hatch from eggs in spring and grow
throughout spring/early summer, look
for feeding on trees during this time
Emerge hungry and spend most of
their time feeding
Caterpillars are hairy with blue and
red spots
If you are going to use chemical
treatments, now is the time
 Gypsy Moth Eastern Tent Fall Webworm
Caterpillar

Native/Invasive? INVASIVE NATIVE NATIVE

Time of Year Spring/Early Late Summer/Fall Late Summer/Fall

Summer

Creates tents? NO Yes Yes

Cocoons & Adults
Form cocoons in midsummer and
develop for ~2 weeks

Adults emerge with flightless white

females and flying brown males

Gypsy moth adults do not feed on

trees, adults only exist to mate

At this point defoliation would have

already occurred
Why Gypsy Moth is successful
● High reproductive rate
● Few natural predators
● Take advantage of disturbance
● Able to take advantage of human dispersal
● Never goes hungry - able to feed on a lot of different plants
BUT…..
Gypsy Moth Checks & Balances

Parasitoids Predators Disease

Wasps Mice E. maimaiga fungus

Flies Shrews NPV Virus

Birds
History of Gypsy Moth
● Intentionally introduced to Medford, Massachusetts in 1869 to
cross-breed with silk moths to create a North American silk industry
● Gypsy moths escaped and found their way into the wild
● In 1906 the US introduced a parasitic fly to try to control Gypsy moths that
just ended up parasitizing native moths
History of Gypsy Moth (continued)
● At first, gypsy moth populations grew slowly
and were limited to New England
● Gypsy moth rapidly expanded its
population throughout the 70s, 80s, and
90s across North America, reaching the
Finger Lakes sometime in the 80s
● Continues to expand southward and
westward, but has been established in the
FLX for ~40 years
Caterpillar Outbreak Cycles
The reasons as to what causes gypsy moth outbreaks is
not entirely understood, but populations of gypsy
moths remain low until conditions are right for an
outbreak
The gypsy moth population will explode in a short
amount of time and remain high for 2-4 years
Once a population reaches a certain size, diseases
cause the population to collapse
No major outbreaks since the 80s (until today)
Enter the fungus
In the 1980s, a gypsy moth killing fungus made its way
from Japan to North America

With moist springs, the fungus is able to inoculate and

control the moth population

This fungus is primarily responsible for the lack of

outbreaks in gypsy moths for the past 40 years, and
serves as a significant check on moth populations
Gypsy Moth Today
● Gypsy moth outbreaks eventually ceased as fungi and viruses controlled
populations
● Remained at low pop levels in NY following the 80s
Current Outbreak
● First outbreak in ~40 years - why?
● We’re not entirely sure, but current thinking is dry weather limits the E.
maimaiga fungus
Control
Chemical Mechanical
Chemical Options
Timing is key

Make your decision on pesticides on realistic outcomes for your site

● Bt spray
● Foliar pesticides
● Tree injections
● Contact a professional arborist
Mechanical Control
● Effective, but problems with “bycatch”
● Not 100% effective and won’t completely eradicate, but can help manage
populations
● Egg scraping is a good publicity tool, but does not typically reduce moth
populations

Image Credit: Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

2021/22? Beyond
 SLF Basics
● Scientific name: Lycorma delicatula
● First detected in Philadelphia in 2014 Image Credit: Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

● Native to China
● Adult size ~1 inch long

Image Credit: Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org Image Credit: Lawrence Barringer, Pennsylvania
Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org
SLF Plant Hosts
Feeds on: Does NOT Typically Feed on:

● Tree of Heaven ● Grains (think wheat, oats)

● Grapes ● Most vegetables (potatoes,
● Fruit trees (apples, peaches, tomatoes, lettuce, eggplant, etc.)
plums, cherries, etc.)
● Hops
● Maples
● Walnuts
SLF Damage
Hundreds of millions of economic activity in NY under threat

No natural controls on SLF populations

Is expanding far faster in 7 years than gypsy moth did in 100

Has no known population cycles

How to help
spottedlanternfly@agriculture.ny.gov.
Thank you!

Questions?

Email: gallo@hws.edu