# Those damned WINTER MOTHS



## GVA (Nov 18, 2006)

Just wondering how everyone else on the coast is with regard to the winter moths?  It hit 70* degrees here today and there are thousands on my trees laying eggs for the spring, I think this upcoming year is gonna be bad and lots of trees will die(good for the scroungers bad for people who like shade).


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## HarryBack (Nov 18, 2006)

moth eggs/moths = added BTU's!


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## ourhouse (Nov 18, 2006)

Yes it is going to be a nother  bad year for them.


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## GVA (Nov 20, 2006)

Wow I guess not many people have a clue what a winter moth is or what it is doing to the trees, I thought this thread would be a bit more active...... But it is a coastal phenomenon and I guess it's not known to too many people..  Oh well!


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## begreen (Nov 20, 2006)

This year I'm getting big some hornets in the wood pile. It's been mild and they seem to have taken up overwintertering somewhere in there. They're harmless, too sluggish to do anything, but can get lively once they get feeling some indoor warmth. I've been inspecting the wood coming indoors a bit more closely now.


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## ourhouse (Nov 20, 2006)

GVA said:
			
		

> Wow I guess not many people have a clue what a winter moth is or what it is doing to the trees, I thought this thread would be a bit more active...... But it is a coastal phenomenon and I guess it's not known to too many people..  Oh well!


It's only gotten bad around here the last 2-3 years. You'r right about people not knowing a lot about them. They will find out when thier trees start dieing.


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## Turner-n-Burner (Nov 20, 2006)

I had a big problem with them this last spring - first time I ever noticed them.  I'll be spraying for them in the spring, you can be sure !

I haven't seen any activity lately though - wonder if that's just your location?

-Dan


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## adrpga498 (Nov 20, 2006)

Dylan said:
			
		

> Is there a more formal name for them?? I don't mean a Latin scientific name. 'Winter moths' sounds descriptive rather than identifying.



Around the golf courses we call them "gypsy moths" whateva there called I know the fairways will be alot wider in a few years.


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## GVA (Nov 20, 2006)

They're not gypsy moths, they are worse.
Heres a quick link for you dylan (with the latin name) and a brief description of what is going on up here.
Be warned They are coming to Conneticut.
Lucky for some of you they tend to stay closer to the coastline because it's warmer in the winter near the ocean...  Me I'm about 500 yards from the ocean....  I'm so screwed I don't think my maples will make it another year, hopefully better sprays will come about this year.

www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators/winter_moth.pdf
And this past spring I think we were spared a bit because of that 20+" of rain back in may.


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## babalu87 (Nov 21, 2006)

Probably the WORSE thing you can do with regards to Gypsy moths is spray.
They have a cyclical life cycle and spraying them prevents the population from getting stressed to the point where they get a virus.
You can google it to get that info but I called off spraying them last year for that reason......... then my sh!thead neighbor had a commercial crew come in and spray everything on his property.


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## Turner-n-Burner (Nov 21, 2006)

GVA said:
			
		

> They're not gypsy moths, they are worse.
> Heres a quick link for you dylan (with the latin name) and a brief description of what is going on up here.
> Be warned They are coming to Conneticut.
> Lucky for some of you they tend to stay closer to the coastline because it's warmer in the winter near the ocean...  Me I'm about 500 yards from the ocean....  I'm so screwed I don't think my maples will make it another year, hopefully better sprays will come about this year.
> ...



To quote Geoff one more time....   We are not talking about the gypsy moths...   The white winter moths are different.  They product little green inch-worm type caterpillars.  You barely even notice them, until you realize that your trees are dropping their leaves in June...

-Dan


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