Gypsy Moth - Background |
|
 |
|
European Gypsy Moth
Gypsy moth is an introduced highly destructive insect of trees. The goal of APHIS-PPQ is to define the extent of the gypsy moth infestation and limit its artificial spread beyond the infested area through quarantine and an active regulatory program. PPQ’s gypsy moth program regulates movement of gypsy moth host material from gypsy moth infested areas to other areas of the United States. This program is an effective Federal-State partnership that prevents the establishment of gypsy moth in areas of the United States that are not contiguous to current regulated States and counties.
Introduced in Massachusetts in 1869, the Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is a plain-looking insect that people would not notice if it were not for its caterpillar stage. A female moth lays a cluster of eggs (called an egg mass) on and near trees, and each egg mass can hatch up to a thousand tiny caterpillars with a ravenous appetite for tree leaves. They feed on over 500 species of trees and shrubs. Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) poses a serious threat to trees as its caterpillars are one of the most destructive defoliators of hard and softwood trees. The European gypsy moth has been established for over a century in the Northeast United States and neighboring parts of Canada, where there is a coordinated program to contain its spread.
Status: Following the results of surveys conducted in 2000, in 2001 APHIS-PPQ added areas in six states to our list of regulated areas. These were in the States of Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. In addition to these states, APHIS-PPQ regulates parts of North Carolina, Virginia, and Maine and all of Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire.