SP518 Gypsy Moth Management for Homeowners

Soon, the gypsy moth will become a household word in Tennessee. This obnoxious new neighbor will be eating its way through our hardwood forests, leaving some forests bare.

The gypsy moth is an introduced exotic insect that defoliates hardwood trees, particularly oaks and hickories. Several successive defoliations by the gypsy moth may eventually kill the tree. The gypsy moth has the potential to decimate some older oak forests, similar to the effects of chestnut blight in the early 1900s. The moth was brought to Massachusetts from Europe in 1869 as part of a silk-making experiment. Some larvae escaped, and the moth has now spread from New England through the Appalachian Mountains. The gypsy moth front is presently moving southward from Virginia at the rate of six to 12 miles per year, and will probably reach northeastern Tennessee by the year 2010.

What can homeowners do to prepare for the gypsy moth’s devastating effects on trees? You can take two integrated approaches to alleviate gypsy moth invasions: (1) control the insect, and (2) improve the growing conditions and health of the trees so they are better able to tolerate gypsy moth defoliations.