ALERT! Winter Moth Spreads North To Maine

Winter Moth Caterpillar

Don't look now, but the infamous winter moth has officially debuted in Maine. Confirmed in the Cumberland county town of Harpswell last month, the moth now contaminates a 400 acre stretch. Stopping the winter moth outbreak is a code red mission for scientists, forest services, and you. This moth lays eggs that hatch into binge-eating caterpillars, devouring the leaves of any and all vegetation including oaks, cedars, even blueberry bushes. Have you seen trees with leaves like swiss cheese? Well, that could be the winter moth. A species native to Europe, the moth was found in Nova Scotia in the 1950s, and has since invaded tens of thousands of acres in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Maine is just the latest of our New England states to be hit.

We at Seacoast Tree Care would attack a winter moth problem by:

• Applying environmentally safe dormant oil sprays to unhatched eggs

• Hitting newly hatched caterpillars with bacteriums

• Using safe & powerful insecticides

• Tree banding for smaller infestations

In the meantime, you can help fight this common enemy of New England trees and wildlife. The sooner you recognize them the sooner they'll be stopped. If you catch these intruders hiding in your neighbor's trees, your state forest service or local tree service company should be called right away.

The Culprit: Moths are small and tan/light brown, with a series of hashmarks on their wings, although females are wingless. The caterpillars are green, with white or pale lines on their sides and one dark line on top.