Bug Hunt

The gypsy moth was brought to Massachusetts from Europe in 1869 in an experimental attempt to breed a hardier silkworm. Not only did the experiment fail but the critter escaped from the lab and has been on a destructive march ever since.

It is one of America’s most destructive invasive species. In its larval stage it munches on the foliage of more than 300 species of trees and shrubs.

With all of our forest canopy and without any natural predators the moth is right at home and has been advancing westward ever since.

Female gypsy moths are flightless. Thus they have to deposit their eggs on something close to the trees they were feeding-upon as caterpillars. That could include camping gear, vehicles, firewood, lawn furniture, grills and the like. Since the larvae can only move a few miles on the wind the gypsy moth eggs can hitchhike on your stuff. That is how they got their name – gypsy moth.

A quarantine kept the critter isolated in New England for a considerable length of time; nonetheless, it has steadily advanced westward arriving in Wisconsin’s eastern counties in the 1990s.

Oaks are among the caterpillar’s favorite foods. A good infestation can defoliate a full grown tree in a week.

The tree can refoliate and grow a set of replacement leaves but that will stress the plant leaving it vulnerable to other insect pests or tree diseases.

A weakened tree will stop producing nuts – sometimes for years – and other forest creatures lose a food source.

The nests of song birds are exposed by defoliation and their young are predated.

It is an all-around crappy deal for both the plant and everything else that lives in the woods.

I am not ordinarily a hateful person. Although I readily admit to being disdainful of knuckleheads and the people that are followers of knuckleheads.

But I hate gypsy moth.

This brings me to the bug hunt.

Now that all of the snow has melted and nothing has leafed-out yet this is the perfect time of year to take a slow walk through the woods and look for gypsy moth egg masses.

Like this-


Once located I give the egg mass a thorough soaking of ordinary cooking oil laced with Ortho Volck oil spray concentrate.

Over the last couple of days I dispensed more than 40 ounces of oil through my spray bottle - smothering countless egg masses.

Death to the moth! Bwah ha ha ha ha haaaaaa!

Unfortunately I didn’t locate all of them nor would it be reasonable to assume anyone could.

So battling gypsy moth is nothing more than a war of attrition – an unwinnable war at that. You cannot eradicate them – only suppress their numbers.


My constant companion – Girlfriend – accompanied me and found another shed antler this afternoon.










Speaking of deer – check out these cool deer rubs – big ones too.
























And then there is this scat.

A big pile of it.

Shaped like oblong capsules and much bigger than a kidney bean.

Any idea who left this deposit?