Defoliators Continued: Gypsy Moth and Sawflies

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Defoliators Continued Gypsy Moth and Sawflies
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The gypsy moth Lymantria dispar L.
A world class problem another Lymantriidae
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• The Gypsy Moth, Lymantria dispar L.
• Gypsy moths are native to north Africa, all
  across eastern and western Europe, across
  Siberia, the Russian Far East and on into Japan.
  What an enormous range?
• With this enormous gene pool, its small wonder
  that gypsy moths consume the foliage of
  practically any hardwood.

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Gypsy moth biology, ecology and control has been
studied for a long time, especially in Europe.
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An opening statement A single instance of
complete defoliation can kill conifers, i.e.
white pine, and eastern red pine. Three
consecutive defoliations kill deciduous trees,
especially the oaks.
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Defoliation of eastern oak white pine forests by
the gypsy moth heavy oak mortality.
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• The pest was brought into the U.S. by an artist,
  amateur astronomer and biologist, Leopold
  Trouvelot.
• Trouvelot lived at 27 Myrtle St. in Medford,
  Mass. He wished to cross the gypsy moth with the
  satin moth and start a silk industry in the U.S.
• In 1889 some moths escaped, and the rest is
  history!

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American Naturalist. 1867. Vol.1, pp. 30-38
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Etienne Leopold Trouvelot and his house on 27
Myrtle St., Medford, MA. His gypsy moths escaped
in 1889.
Medford Fire Department cutting and burning dead
oak trees.
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Medford, MA courthouse and its famous oak
trees, and they are dead. The first
demonstration of the power of the Gypsy Moth.
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20 yrs later!
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Spread fast across the U.S.
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Spread Eggs are laid on anything, including
cars, campers, outdoor furniture, tent folds
etc. If the larvae dont land on their hosts,
they can easily land on air cargo containers,
trains, ships, buses etc. Not called gypsy moth
for nothing!
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Asian gypsy moth eggs on military equipment
coming from Germany to Ft. Benning, Georgia
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The entire U.S. is continually monitored for the
gypsy moth. Often one pheromone trap/4 sq. mi.
along highways a trap/1 sq. mi. in population
centers.
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Active gypsy moth tacking system in Canada also.
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When males are trapped the affected area is
delimited 1st. 4 traps/sq.mi., then 8 traps and
even 16 traps/sq.mi. When the source is found
The area (often a backyard) is treated with one
or two Bt sprays.
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When egg masses are found, three sprays of Bt
bracket the emergence of the moths.
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Life cycle of the gypsy moth
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Lifecycle of the gypsy moth
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The Calosoma ground beetle is a good example.
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The best natural control, however, is the
Wipfelkrankheit that somehow was introduced from
Germany in 1909.
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Even though the gypsy moth is an exotic pest
its main natural control did enter North America.
Its a NPV virus called (in English) the wilt
disease. The NPV particles enters the larvae
where the virus kills the insectan blood cells
and the larvae seem to wilt.
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Weather
Health of the population
Hosts
Gypsy moth population
Virus epizootic Natural enemies
Direct insolation
Site - soil - climate
Competition - intra - inter
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Big current problem is the potential
establishment of the Asian variety of the gypsy
moth.
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The two varieties of the gypsy moth
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1992 Eradication program against the Asian
gypsy moth
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The Sawflies Important Defoliators of
Hardwoods and Conifers. Some Are
Leafminers, Skeltonizers, but Most Are
Leaf-chewers.
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Sawflies
Caterpillars
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More Sawflies
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Oviposition of sawflies into pine needles
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Sawfly larvae feeding on conifer foliage.
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Feed in spring!
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Feed in summer!
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Sawfly defoliation of hybrid poplar plantation
near Portland, OR.
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Poplar sawfly pupa, new adult ovipositing
and larvae devouring the foliage.
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Adult in spring
Sawfly larvae
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Number of eggs per female 63.74
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Larval parasitoid
Pupal parasitoid
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My 1958 experience with the black-headed
sawfly in East Texas.
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1958 outbreak of the black- headed sawfly,
Neodiprion exictans.
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Cocoons
The great 1958 spraying operation directed by Bob
G.
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Loading DDT
The Kirby skidway used as runway
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Headquarters and radio
Spray planes lining up on smoke
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Smoke
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Even though defoliators are beautiful we must
move on to Barkbeetles