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The Gypsy Moth Question: When is it time to treat for them

The gypsy moths seem to be everywhere this year—including in trees, on cars, and on sidewalks. Essex Tree Warden Augie Pampel says that while the infestation is spotty, “it’s worse than other years” and that there is significant defoliation in a lot of areas.

Pampel says that, in addition to being a nuisance, they are capable of causing a lot of damage.

“They devour trees—they eat the leaves of almost any trees,” said Pampel. “The damage is that they strip the leaves and the tree tries to save itself, so it tries to re-leaf. The drought stress from last year will add to that, many trees won’t have the strength or the energy to re-leaf.”

This can result in the death of otherwise healthy trees. If this happens on private property, it is up to the owner to remove the dead tree. Places affected in Essex will be watched by Pampel next spring, to assess the health of the trees and see if they can recover. Pampel also pointed out that by the time they are a nuisance, not much can be done about them.

“You have to spray early on, and it needs to be done by someone with a pesticide license,” said Pampel. “There is a fungus that is supposed to be activated when it rains, but they weren’t in the right stage when we had the rain to react to the fungus.”

“The spray works when they are larvae. At this stage people are trying different natural remedies, or tape around trees, but the thing that works is the spray,” continued Pampel. “Now that they are moving towards their pupae phase, it is a little late to spray.”

According to Pampel, the eggs start to hatch around the end of April, and this is the ideal time to get in touch with someone who can treat the problem. Towns don’t typically spray, but both Pampel and Deep River First Selectman Angus McDonald indicated that this is something that is reassessed each spring, as is whether or not trees affected by the caterpillars need to be removed. Both also acknowledged that though the caterpillars have been everywhere, the potential damage can be addressed.

“In terms of street trees [in Essex], there are some crab apples planted 25 years ago that have been hit three years in a row. If they can’t leaf out next spring then we’ll look at removal,” said Pampel.

For those who would rather not experience a repeat of this spring, Pampel recommends remembering to spray early, and keeping an eye out for mailings sent by the town early in the year as a reminder.