Gypsy moth caterpillars are currently in their feeding stage. In May, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry completed spraying of a biological insecticide called Bacillus thuringiensis and commonly referred to as Bt, to suppress spread of the caterpillars that have defoliated numerous trees in Pike County for several years.

Recent wet spring weather has also made conditions suitable for the caterpillars to succumb to natural causes and last week, the caterpillars began dying on trees. One is a fungus called Entomophaga maimaiga that causes the caterpillars to die in a vertical position on trees with their head at the bottom. The other is Nucleopolyhedrosis Virus that causes caterpillars to die in the shape of an upside down “V.”

In the moth stage, which will occur soon, the female is white with brown markings and cannot fly and the male is brown. The female lays buff colored egg masses containing between 250 and 500 eggs on trees that, unless destroyed, would hatch next spring.