Forest-munching gypsy moth caterpillars rebounded in Pennsylvania this summer with a surprising vengeance, catching entomologists, government officials and landowners off-guard. Now, officials are worried they won’t have enough money or resources to help counties battle what is expected to be an even bigger infestation next year.

Early estimates indicate the pests, which had been in decline for several years, bounced back to defoliate a million acres in Pennsylvania. Lehigh County was relatively untouched but Monroe County, with its abundance of oaks — a gypsy moth favorite — was among the hardest-hit areas in the state and the nation.  full story

Entomological Notes (Penn State University Dept. of Entomology): 

The gypsy moth, was accidentally introduced into Massachusetts in l869. By 1902 this pest was widespread in the New England states, eastern New York, and regions of New Jersey. The gypsy moth was first detected in Luzerne and Lackawanna Counties in northeastern Pennsylvania in l932. Pennsylvania’s infestation progressed south and westward following the mountain ridges. During the late 1970s and early l980s the leading edge of the infestation advanced into Centre, Blair, Huntingdon and Clearfield Counties.  read more