The Gypsy Moths by James Drought7/6/2023 ![]() ![]() They were introduced to the US in the late 19th century by a French scientist, Étienne Léopold Trouvelot, who wanted to breed a new species of silk moth in Massachusetts, according to the US Department of Agriculture. “I grew up in Vermont and I remember some bad years in the late 1980s, and I have never seen anything this bad,” he said.Įuropean gypsy moths are an invasive species. This year’s gypsy moth invasion is the worst Vermont has seen in 30 years, he said. The bugs are winning.Īs the tree warden for Monkton, Vermont, and chair of the town’s Forest Committee, Boltz-Robinson is familiar with arboreal nuisances and outbreaks. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service via APĬattle are competing against grasshoppers for food in the West's historic drought. When their populations can reach outbreak levels they can cause serious ecological damage and economic losses especially during periods of drought. Grasshoppers seen eating plants in this undated photo. ![]()
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