First Detectors European Gypsy Moth (Lymantria dispar)

First Detectors Why be Concerned about Gypsy Moth? Tree defoliator Attacks over 300 species of woody plants Increases host susceptibility to secondary pests and pathogens Native range and established areas: appears as an outbreak pest Greatest damage occurs at first introduction Over 1 million acres defoliated in the U.S. in 2010

First Detectors July ! Local Impacts  Leaves are stripped  Trees are stressed, leaving them susceptible to other pests and diseases  Each caterpillar consumes 9 square feet of foliage! Photo courtesy of Garrett (MD) County extension Office Garrett Co., MD Rocky Arbor State Park, WI

First Detectors Landscape Impacts Photo courtesy of Garrett (MD) County Extension Office Garrett County, MD 2007

First Detectors Human Nuisance

First Detectors Where is Gypsy Moth Established? Europe and north Africa (native) U.S. and Canada (invasive)

First Detectors Identifying Gypsy Moth Egg Masses Caterpillars Pupae Adults (males vs. females)

First Detectors Gypsy Moth Life Cycle

First Detectors Emergence Each female lays one mass containing eggs Overwinter in a protected spot Egg Masses (laid in late summer, hatch in late spring)

First Detectors

6 pair of red spots 5 pair of blue spots Caterpillar (late spring through early summer) First instar larvae Larger caterpillars rest by day, eat at night

First Detectors Gypsy moth 2” Fall webworm 1” Whitemarked tussock moth 1 1/3” Yellownecked caterpillar 1 3/4” Eastern tent caterpillar 3/4” Forest tent caterpillar 1 3/4” Spiny elm caterpillar 2” Whitney Cranshaw MN Dept of Ag. Caterpillar Lookalikes [full grown length in inches]

First Detectors Feeding Damage Entire leaf to midrib Can cover acres of woody habitat

First Detectors Host Preference Preferred eaten by all stages of larvae Oak, aspen, willow, white and river birch, basswood, larch, mountain-ash, alder and apple Hawthorn, hazelnut, hophornbeam, hornbeam, serviceberry, witch-hazel Less- preferred eaten only by older larvae Yellow birch, boxelder, butternut, black walnut, cherry, eastern cottonwood, elm, hackberry, hickory, red and sugar maple, pine, and spruce Blueberries, pin cherry, chokecherry, sweet fern Avoided rarely fed upon ash, cedar, fir, silver maple, catalpa, mulberry and many urban species Dogwood, elderberry, grape, greenbrier, juniper, raspberry, viburnum, and buckthorn!!

First Detectors Pupa (Cocoon) (summer months) Males smaller than females Sparse silken threads Found in protected spots Bark crevices Duff layer 2 weeks

First Detectors Adult (mid-summer to early fall) Female (does not fly) Male (daytime flier) Distinct “commas” on both top and underside of wings Feathered antennae

First Detectors Mating Behavior Females do not fly Pheromone attracts males Females lay one egg mass Adults die, eggs overwinter

First Detectors Pheromone Baited Traps Male moths are lured in as they try to find a mate Delta: sticky interior, trap holds ~10 males Milk Carton: kill strip, trap holds ~1000 males Early Detection

First Detectors 2013 Traps Record moth numbers 90% caught in Lake & Cook counties Basis for treatment, regulatory decisions

First Detectors Trapping, Treatment and Regulations Use trends in moth numbers over through time and space to determine where treatments should occur and where insects are established

First Detectors Gypsy Moth Trends in Minnesota Main population is closer Mating success increasing