Bransfield Company, Greater Boston Area Tree Removal, Tree Care, Stump Grinding, Tree Fertilization, Winter Moth

Massachusetts Certified Arborists

Ecological Landscaping Association

Winter Moth Awareness

781-237-2446

jonathan@bransfieldtree.com

Operophtera brumata

Adult Winter Moth

You may have noticed odd clouds of small, tan moths flitting about around dusk roughly during the the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. You are seeing adult, male Winter Moth (Operophtera brumata), a newly introduced insect pest in Massachusetts. Originally landing in the Plymouth County / Cape Cod areas, populations have been continually increasing, and infested areas have expanded dramatically in just a few years.

While the adult moths are only a nuisance, their offspring emerge in the spring as destructive, leaf eating caterpillars. Winter moth Caterpillars feed on a wide range of deciduous tree hosts including:

Linden, All Maples, Oaks, Blueberry, Apple, Crabapple, Birch, Cherry, and Amelanchier.

Dr. Joseph Elkinton, a research forest entomologist at the University of Massachusetts, estimates that infested areas average 2000-3000 egg laying females per tree. With each female producing up to 150 eggs, this multiplies out to approximately a quarter million or more eggs, per tree, that are ready to hatch in the very early spring. With such exponential growth factors, this insect has the ability to spread quickly, infest previously unaffected areas, and do a great deal of damage.

Winter Moth Caterpillar - image cc licensed by Hannes Lemme, Bugwood.org

Winter Moth Caterpillar damage is similar to the other infamous Northeast lepidopteran pest, the Gypsy Moth Caterpillar. Winter Moth too can completely defoliate a tree in a very short period of time--history has shown that if a tree is only partially defoliated for 3 or more years, branch mortality can result; complete defoliation can lead to complete mortality. Winter Moth are different than Gypsy Moth in that their caterpillars (a tiny, green inchworm) emerge very early in spring, and they are adapted to entering beyond the scales of a closed leaf or flower bud where they can feed, deforming or destroying that bud before it has a chance to open. This adaptation makes effective control through spray applications very difficult to achieve.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Trees & Shrubs?

Extensive damage caused by feasting Winter Moth Caterpillars

At Bransfield Company, we have adopted a 2 pronged approach to Winter Moth control. For smaller trees and shrubs that are reasonable to spray, we use a new biorational pesticide derived from a naturally occurring bacterium. This is very effective and very safe. For taller trees which are very difficult to spray we use a trunk injectable pesticide which moves through the vascular tissue of the tree, eliminating the spray and unwanted spray drift. This injectable or 'systemic' therapy has the added benefit of controlling the early feeding habits of the caterpillars, and because it is active under the tree bark it provides protection against some other pest insects as well.

Call or email us to arrange a consultation with an arborist.

back to top

Tree
Lawn
Plant and Shrub

Tree Service, Tree Removal, Stump Grinding, Tree Pruning, Tree Bracing,Tree Planting, Tree Cabling, Deer Control, Tick Control, Lawn Care, Tree Fertilization, Shrub Fertilization, Lawn Tertilization, Soil Testing, Tree Disease, Tree Insects, Lawn Planting, Mosquito Control, Ornamental Shrubs and Plants, Tree Climbing, Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Treatment, Winter Moth Treatment, Asian Longhorned Beetle Treatment, Anti-transpirant, Organic Tree Care.

Providing Tree, Plant, Shrub and Habitat Care Services in;

Acton MA, Arlington MA, Ayer MA, Bedford MA, Belmont MA, Berlin MA, Bolton MA, Boston MA, Boxborough MA, Brookline MA, Cambridge MA, Carlisle MA, Clinton MA, Concord MA, Dedham MA, Dunstable MA, Framingham MA, Groton MA, Harvard MA, Hudson MA, Lancaster MA, Leominster MA, Littleton MA, Lincoln MA, Lunenburg MA, Marlboro, MA, Maynard MA, Natick MA, Needham MA, Newton MA, Princeton MA, Stow MA, Sudbury MA, Townsend MA, Waltham MA, Wayland MA, Wellesley MA, Weston MA