|
William Pound, Ohio Department of Agriculture; Amy K. Stone, Daniel A. Herms, David Shetlar, Kelly Harvey, |
Introduction
The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar L., is one of the most notorious pests of hardwood trees in the eastern and Midwestern United States and continues to increase its range. The gypsy moth is a nonnative insect, introduced into the United States in 1869 by a French scientist living in Massachusetts. The first outbreak occurred in 1889. By 1987, the gypsy moth had established itself throughout the Northeast.
The first male gypsy moth was captured in northeastern Ohio in 1971, with the first defoliation in the state occurring in 1990. The gypsy moth has colonized Ohio on two fronts, spreading from Pennsylvania in the east and from Michigan in the northwest. Currently, the frontal boundary of the gypsy moth infestation in the United States is located roughly on a line extending from north central Wisconsin through central Ohio and extending into southern Virginia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Ohio, 42 counties contain established populations of this pest and are quarantined (Figure 1).