Gypsy Moths are small insects with a ferocious appetite. They’ll eat most any type of tree and their spring feeding frenzy can defoliate forests. Though their damaging behavior is most prevalent for 2-3 months each year, the impact of their feeding can be long lasting. This article will provide some basic facts about gypsy moths and then offer treatment options to help control and contain local infestations.

Related articles:          CLOTHS MOTHS              MILLER MOTHS         PANTRY MOTHS          WEBBING MOTHS

 

GYPSY MOTH HISTORY

Gypsy moths are not native to North America. Brought to Massachusetts back around 1869, they were imported for the intention of silk farming. Some escaped and the impact of their presence was soon discovered across our countryside.

Gypsy moths have a ferocious appetite and combined with a strong ability to reproduce, it didn’t take long for them to migrate across our country. Presently they are active as far south as Florida and they continue to migrate through the Midwest toward the west coast.

They can feed on most any type of tree including oak, apple, beech, birch, willow and hemlock. Though it’s rare that any host tree will die as a direct result of gypsy moths, the loss of leaves will indirectly cause other problems. Fungus, disease and other parasitic pests will find damaged host trees leading to stunted growth and ultimately death. Needless to say, the end result of “importing just a few gypsy moths” was never imagined; at this time gypsy moths represent the single most significant threat to our forests.

 

GYPSY MOTH BIOLOGY

Gypsy moths have a simple life cycle. Eggs hatch small worm like caterpillars which feed on trees. These larva are tiny – so tiny they’re hard to see at first – but their silky webs will be both felt and seen everywhere once active. They use this silky web-thread to move up and down host trees.

It will also enable them to migrate from one tree to another as the small light body of the larva is easily carried by the wind. This spring feeding will occur for 2-3 months. It will start in April or May and continue through July or August. Once they have their fill, they will travel away from host trees where they will spin a cocoon and undergo metamorphosis. Later in the year they will emerge as adult moths ready to mate and lay new brood eggs to continue the growth of the local population.

Once emerged, adult males have a strong desire to find females. This pursuit will happen during the dark of the night. Females will mate and lay eggs throughout the fall and die off as winter arrives. Before she dies, the average female will lay thousands of eggs. Her egg masses will be found on the bottom side of tree branches and bark of good host trees.

Females also seem to identify a good egg laying location as homes and other man made buildings. This behavior seems to be one of the main reasons why gypsy moths have found their way into most residential neighborhoods.

Ornamental trees also seem to be a food favorite and most any homeowners yard will provide ample hiding places for these egg masses. The average size of these masses will be 500-1000 eggs and if left untreated, these foraging young will cause a lot of damage in the following year!

 

INVADING GYPSY MOTHS

Now that gypsy moths are active in so many states, the goal of eliminating them has pretty much been abandoned. They’re here to stay. If you have activity in your community, it’s just a matter a “when” they will appear on your property. Fortunately there are treatment options that will keep them at bay and your trees protected.

And though many local state and county government agencies have control programs in place, don’t expect their effort to keep your property free and clear of their damaging feeding. If you want to keep them out or if you already have actively feeding larva, there are a few ways to treat which will yield results. The key is using the right product and getting it applied to the right areas.

 

GYPSY MOTH LIFE CYCLE

First, it’s important to understand a few things about how and when the larva feed. One of the unique characteristics of gypsy moths is their natural instinctive behavior to feed at night. This behavior helps to minimize the impact local birds and other prey animals would otherwise have; many birds like to feed on insects but almost all do this during the day. For this reason its best to treat in the evening, just before dusk, so the application will get them when they’re most active!

Gypsy moths will hide from the light. They will drop off trees via their webbing or crawl down tree trunks and seek refuge in rocks, mulch or other objects that surround host trees. They do this at the first sign of light and there they will rest during the day, well removed from local predators, and lie in wait till darkness once again returns. At that time they will crawl back out and go back to their damaging feeding. This distinctive feeding pattern means there are two ways attempt controlling local populations.

 

ORGANIC GYPSY MOTH CONTROL

In general, organic treatments will for gypsy moths will be slow to work and need to be done early in the season. They can be effective and if you have a few small plants, shrubs or trees to protect, certainly possible.

GYPSY MOTH TRAPS

Setting out GYPSY MOTH TRAPS is a good way to help “monitor” the local activity on your property. So if you aren’t sure if there are moths around, set out a trap in a remote corner of the property and keep an eye on it to see if it catches any or if any are seen flying around it.

If so, it means they’re in the neighborhood and you may need to treat to get ahead of the developing population.

Also realize that traps ARE NOT a way to control an active population. Trees that had activity the previous year will be releasing PHEROMONE BEACONS in the air calling more moths. This high concentration of pheromones on the property will be dominant over the traps pheromones so active moths won’t notice the traps.

That being said, traps are great for finding out if there are moths around your property so you’ll know to treat.

We offer them in both red and white; use one trap per 5,000 sq/ft. Traps come with a short hanging “tie” so you can secure them to tree limbs, garden stakes, etc.

Each trap comes with a single glue pad and on the pad you need to place the lure. Do not handle the lure directly but instead, “pour” it out onto the glue pad. The lure is a small rubber “stopper” shaped object which has been soaked with the pheromone. Both lures and glue pads will remain active for 30-60 days but in badly infested yards, can fill up quickly. Pay attention to your traps and replace pads as they fill.

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BEST VEGETABLE GARDEN SPRAYS FOR GYPSY MOTHS

If you have a small garden on the ground growing vegetables,  VEGETABLES PLUS  would be an option. It’s odorless and can be applied to fruit bearing trees. Treatments will last 1-2 weeks but can be renewed more frequently if needed.

Mix 2-4 oz per gallon of water and expect to get 500 sq/ft of foliage coverage per mixed gallon.

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STRONGEST GYPSY MOTH SPRAY

If you don’t have fruit or vegetable bearing plants and want the most concentrated option, go with MAXXTHOR EC. This concentrate is oil based and the only concentrate strong enough to penetrate the moth “powder” that protects moths from regular insecticides.

Maxxthor is super repelling too so treated trees will repel them once the spray is absorbed by their bark.

Use .5  oz per gallon of water when using a pump sprayer but in general, you should be using our HOSE END SPRAYER shown below to get the much needed coverage.

If you have an active problem with larvae and/or adults, you’ll want to use it at full strength which is 1 oz per gallon per 1000 sq/ft of foliage. This means our 32 oz jug will cover about about 3/4 acre total for active moths.

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To get the most of your treatment, add SPREAD-X BOOST to your tank mix along with the Maxxthor. Boost is an adjuvant, also known as a wetter spreader or spreader sticker. It basically makes water and the mixture more “slippery” so you get better coverage. Treatments will spread 2-3 times wider and penetrate deeper. This is super important when spraying trees and shrubs where moth larvae and adults will be resting. Boost will help the Maxxthor penetrate their powdery “deflecting” shield for faster kills and even impact egg sacs.

The following short video summarizes why Boost can help deliver your treatment better.

Add no more than the rate you’re applying the Maxxthor so in this case, if you’re adding 2.5 oz of Maxxthor to the hose end sprayer, add 2.5 oz of Boost too before adding water. If you’re adding Maxxthor to a pump sprayer at the rate of 1 oz per gallon, use 1 oz of Boost.

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Maxxthor should applied using our HOSE END SPRAYER seen below.

The following short video (less than 60 seconds) shows how to “prepare” a hose end for spraying .5 oz per 5 gallons. For active Gypsy Moths, you’ll want to add 5 oz of Maxxthor per 5 gallons of spray so plan on using twice as much concentrate when preparing the sprayer.

We carry different hose ends but the best for gypsy moths is the green top sprayer. It allows you to remove the nozzle “deflector tip) so you can spray as far as your garden hose would normally reach.

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BEST GYPSY MOTH TREATMENT FOR TALL TREES

If you have tall trees and can’t spray high enough to reach feeding larvae, soil drench with PROTHOR.

Add 1 oz for every 10″ of tree width to a 5 gallon bucket along with 3-4 gallons of water. Poke some holes 10-15″ deep using a piece of rebar or some other garden tool. Pour the mixture down the holes making sure it mostly stays in the holes and within the ‘drip line” of the trees limbs.

Prothor will take 1-2 weeks to be “sucked” up into the trees sap and to the foliage. Once there, anything eating it will die.

Prothor should be used once in the spring for controlling bugs that like to eat leaves but then again in the fall to control tree borers.

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SPRAY EQUIPMENT NEEDED FOR GYPSY MOTH CONTROL

For most trees and shrubs 15 feet or less in height, any standard PUMP SPRAYER can be used to apply the products listed above (Thuricide, Soap, Vegetables Plus and Bithor).

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For trees 15-30 feet tall, our 6 GALLON HOSE END will be able to spray as high as your garden hose can reach. Just remove the little black deflector tip and it will spray like a laser letting you reach up as far as your hose will spray by using the water pressure of the garden spigot.

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Now if you don’t feel like pumping and pumping a regular pump sprayer or if you need to reach high parts of the home, consider getting one of our NO PUMP SPRAYERS. This unique sprayer is simple yet very good, easy to use and one of our “favs” for applying insecticides to your homes exterior and landscape (its too powerful for use inside).

Ideally suited for reaching heights of 40+ feet, it has no moving parts other than the valve you hold for spraying and the adjustable brass “bullet” nozzle.

This sprayer is essentially a tank that can hold water, chemical and up to 130 psi of air. The top lid has a clamp and rubber gasket that seats on the “inside” of the sprayer so as you fill it with air, the seal will naturally remain in place, nice and tight.

The top has 3 “ports” (pic below). The port to the far left is used to fill the tank with air. Using any electric air pump (the kind you would use the fill tires on your car), you can safely pressurize this sprayer up to 80 psi. The tank is rated for up to 130 lbs but the relief valve will only allow you to fill it to 80-90 psi before it starts to release. This happens as a safety precautionary action.

For normal use around the home, 50-60 psi should be enough for you empty the liquid from the 2.5 gallon tank assuming you only add 1 gallon of mixed product. True, the sprayer can “hold” 2.5 gallons of liquid but you need room for the air. Our tests show that 50-60 psi will pump out an entire gallon of spray allowing you to reach 25-30 feet heights.

For reaching 40+ feet or higher targets, pressurize the sprayer to 80 psi and again, mix up only what you plan on using and no more than 1 gallon of mixed solution at one time so the tank has enough room left to store all the needed “air”. One charge of 80 psi is enough to get the entire mixture to spray out so you don’t have to be concerned about constantly recharging.

The 5 GALLON NO PUMP can hold over 2 gallons of mixed material and can perform equally as well.

Remember, YOU WILL NEED AN AIR COMPRESSOR POWERFUL ENOUGH TO FILL THIS SPRAYER!! WE RECOMMEND ONE THAT CAN DO AT LEAST 100 PSI.

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WATCH THIS VIDEO ON THE “NO PUMP” SPRAYER FOR OPERATIONAL DETAILS

 

FOGGING FOR GYPSY MOTHS

If you have a lot of foliage to protect, consider fogging instead of liquid treating. On average, fogging will use about 1/10th as much chemical to get the same area treated. And it will do so 50% or more efficiently. Basically the “mist” or fog will cover all surfaces so you miss very little areas. Liquid spraying, on the other hand, is near to impossible to get all surfaces covered due to run off, the angles of the foliage and more. Furthermore, fogging takes a lot less time. On average, it takes 30-50 gallons of mixed solution to treat an acre along with 30-60 minutes of time. But this same area can be treated with 3-4 gallons of mixed solution in 10 minutes using either of the fogging machines listed below.

Since gypsy moth larva naturally forage high for food its entirely possible they could be well beyond the reach of the average liquid sprayer. Mists will usually can reach 25-30 feet up with no problem and with a little bit of air current, 40-50 altitudes can be treated.

For small lots of 1/2 acre or less, our BUGSPRAY FOGGER is a good electric machine. It can pump out 10 oz per minute and with its 1 gallon tank, most anyone can handle it around the yard. Use it to apply the Soap, Vegetables Plus or Bithor listed above.

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If you want to “cut the cord”, get a BACK PACK MIST BLOWER. These gas powered units have 3+ gallon holding tanks and can pump a gallon of mixed solution in 3 minutes.

 

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SPRAY THE GROUND TO STOP MIGRATING LARVAE

During the active season, gypsy moth larvae will be foraging onto the ground. This can happen by mistake or on purpose. Leaf litter and common mulch found under trees are prime areas for maturing larvae to use for pupation. For this reason its important to “spray low” when using any of the liquids above.

Use the Maxxthor and Boost listed above for all mulch, flower beds and turf at the rate of .5 oz per 1,000 sq/ft. The Hose End sprayer listed above is ideally suited for this task.

 

 

HOW TO TREAT GYPSY MOTHS LANDING ON THE HOME?

To stop adult moths active in the yard, get the yard treated with Maxxthor. But remember, any larvae you miss will readily migrate to other trees AND sometimes houses to pupate. To keep them off the home, spray the house from the gutters down to the foundation base with Maxxthor.

Maxxthor with Boost added will penetrate all cracks and crevices where Gypsy moths like to penetrate and they will stay clear of where its been applied.

THE FUTURE OF GYPSY MOTHS

Gypsy Moths are a major pest across the United States of America. If they’re active in your region, be aware of local activity and watch to see if they land on your property. Even if you don’t have any active, it’s a good idea to apply Thuricide to any plant you’d like to keep around if gypsy moths are in the area. This “pretreatment” will help minimize damage should some find your plants.

Once gypsy moths are established, an aggressive approach will be needed. Use a combination of the sprays and granules listed above for bad infestations and set out traps to help keep reproduction minimized.

Gypsy moths are here to stay and if you value your trees and other landscaping, you don’t want them moving onto your plants and eating them alive.




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