Replies

1. 
   dedhed | Jun 01, 2007 05:32pm | #1

   They sell bands tha tgo around the tree trunk that prevnt there passage. After that there is little to do but wait them out.When iI lived in southern NH my house was surrouned by red oaks.After a rain storm the little black droppings increased tenfold into green slimmy globs. After several years the trees developed a toxin which litterly stoped them in thier tracks. The trunks were littered with dead catapillers. They never go away but just surge every few yeaes.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jun 01, 2007 08:48pm | #2

   I had just bought a house--with one of the most attractive features being several magnificant speciment trees towering over it--when gypsy moths invaded.  Despite bands and all the other recommended things, they were totally denuded by early summer.  Boy was I scared.  But they came completely back the following year. 

1. 
   Lansdown | Jun 01, 2007 09:02pm | #4

   My wife thinks I'm nuts. At night it sounds like it is raining, that's how active the caterpillars digestive systems are. I wrapped my tress with duct tape, sticky side out. I would wash the 'carpet' of caterpillars off the tree trunks daily with a large brush and a solution of bleach, yuck. Thank god I live in the city most of the year. Most of the local tree spray companies are completely booked and won't even take new customers, plus they want $350 to do a half acre. I think I'm going to chop all the trees down and pave over like a guy up the street did (just kidding).

2. 
   bp21901 | Jun 01, 2007 09:02pm | #3

   Our property is bordered by a state forest so we benefit from a state spraying program. They survey the trees through the year and schedule which areas are to be sprayed the following spring. They used a helicopter this year, in the past they used planes.

   There are two types of sprays they use depending on whether you have water nearby or not. The one spray would affect crayfish and some other water critters so they switch to something different around ponds & streams. I went to the presentation about 5 years ago so I don't remember any of the details from way back when. Now if they could only come up with something to control the ticks.....

   http://www.naturalresources.umd.edu/gypsymoth.cfm

1. 
   Lansdown | Jun 01, 2007 09:04pm | #5

   Thanks for the link, I'm in eastern Long Island and I suspect we are in for a doozy this year.

3. 
   Luka | Jun 01, 2007 10:19pm | #6

   I want to know what is to be done about all the tramp and thief moths ???

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   Fight fire with water.