BT works on either type of moth, and can be applied by the homeowner to all but the tops of big trees. It's preferable to other treatments because it doesn't cause collateral damage, not even to butterfly larva, since it has to be ingested to kill (and caterpillars are selective in what kinds of leaves they eat). You just spray it on with a pressure sprayer. Those are available from the hardware store and are not expensive. Don't let a tree guy talk you out of BT; they don't like it because it has to be applied during a short time window when the larva start eating and damage is noticed. This is easy for the homeowner, but difficult for a commercial applicator who needs to treat many houses for the same pest, presumably all at the same time in any neighborhood. Treating the caterpillars on the foliage is much more effective than treating the moths themselves, since moths can fly in from all over. I've noticed that the caterpillars are still there, and look unaffected after spraying, but apparently they stop eating as soon as they've had a bite of treated foliage; it takes them up to 3 days to die, but they're not doing damage during that time.

For those who want to do something about the gypsy moth eggs before they hatch next spring (besides begging for a wet spring so the fungus kills the caterpillars), I've found a lot of information mostly leading to spraying the eggs with a horticultural oil product. If the egg masses are on a flat surface it's easy to scrape them off and dump them in a bucket of soapy water, but if they're on tree bark it's a whole different story. This is not really scrape-able without damaging the tree. The Virginia Cooperative Extension has a good page: Gypsy Moth Management for Homeowners on Small Properties ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Egg mass treatments (prior to egg hatch) Since each egg mass contains from 500 to 1000 eggs, destruction of egg masses before hatch can have an impact on populations. Starting in the fall, search your property, including trees, outdoor furniture and play equipment, for egg masses. In some areas of VA, eggs hatch as early as mid-March, so egg masses must be destroyed before that time. • Using a putty knife or similar tool, scrape the egg masses into a plastic bag or can. Once collected, empty the contents of the bag into a container of soapy water (dish soap works well) and soak for a day or two. • An option to physically removing egg masses is to saturate egg masses before hatch with a solution of horticultural oil labeled for gypsy moth (available at garden stores). This will smother the gypsy moth larvae (caterpillars) within the eggs. This solution is available commercially as Golden Pest Spray Oil® (Stoller Enterprises, Inc.), or you can make your own using soybean oil and water (1:1). Use a small spray bottle, household sprayer, or "supersoaker" water gun to soak the egg masses. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I ordered the Golden Pest Spray Oil and I think I'm going to get myself a supersoaker water gun (might as well enjoy the process). Claire

Landscape Message: Jun 17, 2016 From the Southeast Region (Hanson) report: "Pests/Problems: The “big story in town” this week is about Gypsy moth caterpillars, which are in 4th and mostly 5th instars. These late instar caterpillars are feeding heavily and the resulting frass or “insect poop” can be heard falling in those areas where caterpillar populations are high. In some areas the caterpillars have done a good job defoliating oak and apple trees that were spared by winter moth caterpillars. There are reports of heavy feeding in areas of Carver, Plymouth, Kingston, Middleboro, etc. There are also reports of a very few “sick” and dying caterpillars but not enough to make a difference. We really need rain for soil moisture for plants and also to activate the fungus, Entomophaga maimaiga. (See Tawny Simisky’s report in the Insect Section of the Landscape message)." SOUTHEAST REGION - Deborah Swanson, UMass Extension Horticulturist for Plymouth County - Retired, reporting from Hanson.

Landscape Message: Apr 21, 2017 "Drought Conditions Update: Very little change from last week, and more rain is in the forecast. Approximately 48% of Massachusetts is currently under official drought status. For the area under drought status, less than 1% of the Commonwealth is classified as 'Severe Drought'. For more information see http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?MA." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Also see U.S. Drought Monitor - Northeast -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Insects section has extensive information on winter moths and gypsy moths and talks about the status of egg hatch in various regions. Claire