Some Fascinating Things You Need to Know About Gypsy Moths

General Description and Location

Gypsy moths, or Lymantria dispar are a species
of moths that originated in Asia and Europe.
After being introduced to the United States in
the 1860', it has spread across the entire
country and into Canada. These moths usually
have cream to tannish or brown wings. Unlike
butterflies, when a gypsy moth is not flying, ti
swings are folded in parallel to the ground
instead of upright. In addition, gypsy moths
also have wider bodies and shorter, blunt
antennas than butterflies.

Problems for Humans and Animals

Similar to butterflies, gypsy moths go through
a caterpillar stage, and then a winged stage.
Unfortunately, gypsy moths pose significant
problems at both stages. During the caterpillar
stage, gypsy moths will eat leaves from trees
where their eggs have been deposited. In most
cases, eggs are wrapped in a web that can span
several branches, as well as go from tree to
tree. Since the caterpillar stage often occurs
during the spring months, they usually feed on
emerging leaves, thus killing the host tree.

Once gypsy moths emerge in the adult, winged
form, they become parasitic in homes and stores.
As you may be aware, they will feed on garments,
rugs, and just about anything else made from
fabric. Even though these moths will not bite
humans or animals, they still wreak havoc on
household furnishings and other goods.

Natural Solutions

In most cases, the best way to deal with gypsy
moths revolves around deterring them as much as
possible. This includes planting yellow
sycamore, ash, butternut, ash, locust, mountain
laurel and rhododendron trees around your
property. You can also make use of ferns for
ground cover and near foundations as well as
within the home.

If you notice trees in your local area becoming
infested with gypsy moths, you can place burlap
bands around the trunks. Once the moths lay
their eggs in the burlap, you can soak the
burlap in some type of detergent in order to
kill the moths and the eggs. If you do not want
to use chemical solutions, you may simply want
to try burning the cocoons as you come across
them.

Since gypsy moths usually do not lay eggs
within the home, you should make it a point to
examine all doors and window screens in order to
find out where they are coming in from. As may be
expected, if you are dealing with gypsy moths in
the home, you can pack garments in camphor moth
balls, as well as place camphor salts around the
home. You may also want to experiment with dried
leaves and wood from trees that tend to be
resistant to gypsy moths to see if that will
help.

Chances are, you already know that moths are
attracted to bright lights at night. Therefore,
you can use candles or other light bearing traps
to get rid of gypsy moths. Today, there are both
electronic moth zappers, as well as candles
laced with insecticide that can be used for this
purpose.

Recent Outbreaks

At the current time, gypsy moths are still
causing serious problems in Pennsylvania and
other areas of the northeastern United States.
That said, over the last few years, a fungal
infection has been taking a toll on gypsy moth
populations, and seems to be bringing them under
control in the US. They are also found in New
Zealand and the southern islands of Japan.

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