Gypsy moths

[hedwarr]

I am seeing tons of webs and baby caterpillars around my property. Are they a threat to tomato plants?

[Mischka]

Gypsy moth caterpillars will defoliate just about any plant once the supply of their preferred food is exhausted. I wouldn't worry too much about them unless your neighborhood trees are completely stripped of leaves already.


The European gypsy moth has taken more than 130 years (since 1869) to spread throughout the Northeast. They were being evaluated for silk production, and were blown from a window sill in Medford, Massachusetts.

The Asian gypsy moth was first identified in North America late in 1991 near the Port of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada and have spread at a much quicker rate as the Asian females can fly up to 20 miles, whereas the European females are totally flightless.

The European gypsy moth has more than 250 known host plants but prefers oak. The Asian gypsy moth has a much broader host range, over 500 known host plants including larch, oak, poplar, alder, willow, and some evergreens.

When I was a child, I remember a spring and summer where the infestation was so bad that there were no leaves left on any trees here in Massachusetts. They eventually attacked the evergreens until there was nothing left for them to eat, literally.

It was eerie to walk outdoors; you could actually hear them chewing the leaves by the millions...and their little black droppings fell like rain from the trees.

[hedwarr]

It's gotten worse. I cant even go outside without being covered in them. I am losing most of the foliage on my oaks, and there are hundreds of them on my tomato containers but relatively none on the plants themselves. I'm really starting to panick. I grew a number of varieties that are new to me and I put so much t.l.c. into growing them. I have spoken to a number of local agencies and they all tell me there is nothing they can do about it. I'm ready to visit Home Depot today and go nuclear on the critters!!! Any suggestgions?

[boonies]

Might be more than just Gypsy Moths caterpillars, those equally nasty Tent caterpillars are everywhere here this year. I just squished over 50 in a hour in a tiny area of my yard alone.

t was eerie to walk outdoors; you could actually hear them chewing the leaves by the millions...and their little black droppings fell like rain from the trees.

Yep, got that too. If you don't wash the dropping off your car it'll eat right through the paint.

[kimpossible]

We ALWAYS get the tent caterpillars every year - esp. in a huge (60ft) Walnut tree. We use ladders, tree pruners, get up on the roof to reach as high as we can, cut those tents down & douse them with lighter fluid & TORCH them

Otherwise, the nests just keep getting bigger & bigger, the caterpillars eat more & more leaves .... They are NASTY!

[matermama]

Here in Ohio ,the fist yr i lived here we had the Ciccada invasion, i m just glad they didn't make it down near us. But driving through the towns that did have them, my car was a mess everytime and they were noisy!!!!!thank goodness they only come once every 18 yrs.
sue

[Woodenzoo]

Sue,
I remember that year... it was the year I didn't garden! No way I was going out there during that! It was bad enough I had to go to work and go outside there for a smoke... just a few drags before retreating back inside to avoid them. Walking to the car to go home, I had one go up my jeans leg and I thought I was going to die right then and there!
I couldn't imagine putting up with gypsy moths or any 'critter' swarm! Yup! That's the end of my gardening! Nope, couldn't do, just couldn't.
Wish the best of luck to those of you in NJ and elsewhere that have to deal with these critters!
Cathy

[matermama]

Oh yeah if one went up my pants i would not be talking to anyone right now LOL i would be in jail for indecent exposure , i would have taken my pants off and acted like a wild woman. I hate things that crawl up my legs, i always think it is a snake.
Yesterday while stringing up some maters , the string wrapped around my leg!!!!! uuuuuhhhhg i jumped at least 1 mile in the air wha whoooo , my 15 yr old thought it was a sight.
sue