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Article: Gypsy moths. (leaves eating caterpillar which infests area of Medford, Mass)
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- May 1, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Gypsy Moths
Thwarting Their Wandering Ways
Low-flying airplanes, tree girdles made of burlap, and disgruntled homeowners peering skyward as chewed leaves float down from almost leafless trees. Thanks to the gypsy moth caterpillar, the wormlike larval stage of the Lymantria dispar moth, these are all familiar sights in summertime suburbia.
The pest was accidentally released in 1869 at the home of Etienne Leopold Trouvelot, a well-meaning, self-appointed entomologist who brought gypsy moth eggs from his native France. He'd hoped to produce a disease-resistant silkworm for America. Instead, he produced angry neighbors in the little Massachusetts ...