Subject: The Gypsy moth lifecycle

From: MS SALLY O LEVINSON <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 09:10:59 -0500

I worked on gypsy moths in '76.  I have a vague memory that they feed
at night and hide in the leaf litter during the day.  This is why
tangle foot around the trunk works.  You can also tie burlap around
the trunk for them to hide in during the day, and collect them from
there.  Or collect them from the leaf litter.  Younger larvae spend
all day in the tree.  Look for them on the bottom of leaves.--Sally

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From: Tom Cooch <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 1996 19:52:59 +0000

Here in central Vermont, we have many Gypsy Moth caterpillars on our
aspen trees. Even more than on the leaves, they are to be found in
clusters on the trunks, at scarred sites of former branches.

Tom Cooch
Braintree, Vermont

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From: James Kruse <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 1 Jul 1996 11:16:47 CST

Sat, 29 Jun 1996   Anne Kilmer <[email-masked]>
>
> There are a number of earth-friendly things you can do to reduce the
> population.
> Obviously you don't want to use Bt. That'll kill all your butterflies,
> not just the dratted moths.

dratted -gypsy- moths?  And Bt does not kill ALL butterflies or
other leps (and moths are most leps).  Besides, I don't think Bt use
is left up to the home gardener, although the average gardener has far
more gruesome chemicals at his/her disposal.

> You can buy and install Teflon strips around the trunks of your trees.
> You smear tanglefoot along the bark at the top and bottom of the strip,
> so the little beggars can't walk up under the strips.

This is earth friendly?  Tanglefoot will take out most invertebrates
and a few vertebrates that crawl up the trunk.  This is a less
specific attack on gypsy moth than Bt is.  The most earth friendly
thing you can do is wrap burlap around tree trunks, check everyday
for gypsy moths, and very specifically squash them.

> Spraying soapy water at the tree will kill quite a few caterpillars.
> This'll kill hairstreaks and cecropia moth larvae too. Oh well.

Again, you are worried about killing non-targets with Bt, but here
non-target mortality is shrugged off, apparently as an acceptable
sacrifice to control gypsy moths.

> The mix University of Florida recommends is 3 tablespoonsful of liquid
> soap, 1 tablespoonful of veg. oil to a gallon of water. But you can use
> the jar thingie you use to wash the car, fill it with liquid soap and
> suds away until soap drips from the tree.
> Soap. Shaklee's basic H, Dr. Brown's Liquid Castile Soap with Peppermint
> or Eucalyptus (health food stores have it) Ivory handwashing soap. Not
> detergent.

Univ of FL recommends this concoction for what?  Not gypsy moths,
there are no gypsy moths in Florida.

>         This is not an entirely benign substance. It'll do bad things to
> spiders and other soft-bodied predators. Apparently doesn't do much harm
> to wasps, beetles and such. I suspect it'll kill ladybug larvae.
> Vaseline works if you can't find tangletrap.

Now the whole lab is wondering what I'm laughing at.  Napalm will
work if you can't find vaseline, but be careful not to smoke.  By
all means, save the butterflies but the hell with all other life!

> Check frequently and rescue mantids, anoles and such small deer.
> Make sure your local farmers have bluebird houses on all their
> fenceposts, and don't be too particular about who moves into them.

Kill all of the spiders, but by God, put up bluebird houses!

> Starlings were imported deliberately to eat gypsy moths.

No they were not.

> They like other bugs better, but what the hell.

Yeah, what the hell Anne!

Jim Kruse