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After several years when the infestations of gypsy moth caterpillars seemed limited to the Shenandoah National Park and the area around Chester Gap, the moths have broken out in the county this year.
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Buck Kline, the Virginia Department of Forestry’s area forester for Rappahannock and Madison counties, said the department’s recent aerial survey revealed roughly 15,000 acres affected, or nearly double the 8,000 acres which were defoliated by the caterpillars in 1987. And, he added, unlike past years, the areas affected, within the county have spread beyond the mountainsides of the park.
“It’s amazing how fast they move,” he added. In 1987, the aerial survey and ground sweeps tracked the caterpillars’ movements to the Panorama/Thornton Gap area west of Sperryville. This year, the caterpillars have moved as far as the Madison/Rappahannock County line, causing defoliation as far south as Nethers.
“Wherever you go, you find egg masses and caterpillars,” the forester said, adding that he saw, from the air, spot defoliation in the Amissville area. Those places, he said, seemed to be ornamental oaks in yards rather than the massive, hillside defoliation seen in the more densely forested areas.
Mr. Kline said that the current drought is not helping the situation. Although there’s been no damage to hardwood trees from the lack of rainfall, the defoliation of oaks by the caterpillars, coupled with insufficient moisture and high temperatures over several years, will cause oak mortality, he said.
“With each heavy defoliation, we will lose oak timber,” Mr. Kline stated.
Various controls available
Concerning controls for the voracious caterpillars, Mr. Kline suggested that residents should limit their efforts to shade trees and small wooded tracts near dwellings. For yard trees, burlap bands around the trees provide shade for the caterpillars during the hot daylight hours. They can be easily removed and destroyed.
For those homeowners squeamish about the pests, he suggested an adhesive band called ‘Tanglefoot.” The caterpillars crawl onto the band , as they climb up the tree and become 'trapped by the adhesive. The n, the entire band can be removed and discarded.
Spraying with Sevin or a comparable pesticide may be effective for
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