If you have many holes in your tree’s leaves, you likely have a gypsy moth problem.
But the City of Barrie assures there are ways to deal with it.
Gypsy moths are invasive creatures that feed on tree leaves, destroying tree growth and taking away trees' ability to produce new leaves.
Living Green Project director Andee Pelan told BarrieToday it is anticipated that trees in Simcoe County will be severely affected this year.
“The European gypsy moth has a seven- to 10-year cycle and many trees in Barrie are going to be under attack. This year will see a peak in its population cycle,” said Pelan. “Typically, when populations rise rapidly, they are usually followed by a crash from a host-specific virus or fungus.”
While many people are using the technique of applying tape around the tree with the sticky side up to catch the small caterpillars, Pelan says it isn’t necessarily the best idea.
“No, we have not been using the tape trick as there have been quite a lot of reports of other wildlife, like birds, getting trapped as well. We will, however, be using the burlap wrap-trap technique in a couple of weeks though,” she said. “This will include physically picking the caterpillars off the tree and drowning them in a bucket of soapy water just like we did with the Japanese beetles on the fruit trees in Shear Park last year.
"It's pretty gross, but it works.”
Meanwhile, the city's urban forestry page says the gypsy moths prefer oak, birch, aspen, sugar maple, American beech, eastern white pine, and Colorado blue spruce trees.
City parks and forestry supervisor Kevin Rankin says this is a large problem across the province and steps are being taken to minimize damage to local trees.
“If you’re in some of the high population areas around the city, like Sunnidale Park, you’ll see some tree branding taking place,” Rankin said. “We are also using an injection technique to assist with the problem.”
TreeAzin injections are a botanical, injectable insecticide produced by Neem Tree seed extract that is injected directly into the base of trees. When a caterpillar eats the leaves of a treated tree, the insecticide prevents them from growing any larger. This protects the tree from sustaining significant defoliation.
There is also tape banding and eventually there will be a tactic of wrapping the tree with burlap to catch any hiding caterpillars.
“The burlap technique usually occurs in July and August," Rankin said. "With that, you shake the caterpillars into soapy water, which will kill them.
"We are using the taping strategy as a way to combat the problem, but will switch to burlap when the time comes," he added.
For more information on gypsy moths, check out the city website here.
