WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington residents may have noticed a recent revival of the once dreaded gypsy moth, a pest that, while in caterpillar or larvae stage, has been responsible for recent defoliation of several of Wilmington’s trees, specifically oak. Starting in 1981 and extending throughout the 1980s, Massachusetts experienced a severe outbreak of the pests which made national headlines due to the extent of the defoliation.
Gypsy moth caterpillars can be identified by their unique series of red and blue dots which line their furry bodies. Research Entomologist Dr. Joe Elkinton of UMass Amherst and his team have been studying this pest to determine the cause of the recent resurgence.
Despite failures in the late 1980s to establish naturally occurring environmental controls to mitigate gypsy moth populations, a fungal pathogen from Japan arrived accidentally around 1989 which drastically lowered gypsy moth numbers to the point of non-concern. Dr. Elkinton attributes the return of the gypsy moth to the recent drought conditions which have inhibited the ability for the naturally occurring fungus to establish in the spring. Optimism is high that the fungus will again reestablish to effective volumes during the spring of 2017, given an anticipated return of normal rainfall levels.
As is the case with most trees that experience defoliation from insects, oaks affected by the gypsy moth will flush out a second set of leaves to attempt to counteract the effects of the pest. Research has shown that most healthy trees are resilient enough to withstand occasional defoliations, but trees that are already stressed due to other environmental or man-made factors may have a harder time recovering.
The Wilmington Department of Public Works Tree Division team is monitoring Wilmington’s public trees closely for the effects of this pest and other pests that threaten our community forest. The DPW’s commitment to professional networking and ongoing education and training help bring the latest information and sustainable solutions to our community. If you have further questions about how gypsy moth or other pests and diseases are affecting town trees, please contact the Department of Public Works at 978-658-4481 or visit the Tree Division link on the DPW website.
(NOTE: The above announcement is from the latest Town Topics newsletter.)
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