The good news is healthy trees generally can recover later in the year, even if the moths eat all their leaves.
Connecticut's chief insect expert said he's hopeful rain will help control gypsy moth populations in the state this year. The non-native insect feeds on leaves, which can cause health issues in trees.
Kirby Stafford said there was a lot of gypsy moth activity in Connecticut last year. "We had over 175,000 acres that were defoliated by the gypsy moth," he said.
Stafford is the state entomologist and said most of those tree issues were in New London and Middlesex counties. Lots of the trees were oak, which gypsy moth caterpillars really enjoy munching.
While 175,000 acres is a lot defoliation -- it's nowhere near the biggest moth outbreaks of the early 1980s -- where around one-and-a-half million acres of trees in Connecticut lost leaves.
This year, Stafford said he's encouraged recent rains will foster the spread of an insect fungus called Entomophagamaimaiga.
The fungus was introduced into Connecticut forests in the late 1980s and originally came from Japan. Stafford said it's effective at managing large-scale gypsy moth outbreaks in the region, but the fungus needs rain to really work, so Stafford has his fingers crossed a couple of recent storms will be enough to stir up the fungus and control caterpillar populations.
"We have been getting a lot of reports from homeowners. Trees defoliated. Caterpillars crawling all over patios and swimming pools. Lawn furniture. Garages and houses," Stafford said. "People, if they want to get the caterpillars -- they can power wash, collect them -- but from a larger scale issue, it's going to be more of a wait and see."
While the insect can be a nuisance to homeowners, the good news is Stafford said healthy trees generally can recover later in the year, even if the moths eat all their leaves.
