Gypsy moths during an outbreak can defoliate our trees and cause our host trees to die. The gypsy moth out breaks can last between anywhere from 1-5 years. This can impact our native species food and shelter due to larva feeding. Birds and mammals can attack adult Moths but not larvae because of their long thick hairs to protect them.
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A major concern is the potential loss of economically critical and ecologically dominant oak species. Gypsy moths appear to dislike ashes, sycamores, butternuts, black walnuts, dogwoods and balsams.Gypsy moths are seen only in mid-summer, males are grayish brown and can fly; females are larger, are whitish and have black marks on their back and cannot fly. The gypsy moths were originally brought over to make a hybrid species of silk-spinning caterpillars. Some escaped and began breeding on their own and becoming a pest to our native hardwood tress. Gypsy moths defoliate over one million acres of forest a year alone.
Information from: http://gypsy-moth.com/gypsy-moth-4.htm http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/morgantown/4557/gmoth/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_moths_in_the_United_States