Control Methods for Home and Woodlot Owners

In high populations, the gypsy moth can be very destructive. Trees can be defoliated at an alarming pace, leaving them weak and susceptible to disease. At outbreak levels, gypsy moth caterpillars can be seen crawling on any surface in yards and neighborhoods and their waste can rain down from branches above.

But with a few common items and a little effort, you can get a gypsy moth population under control, or prevent one from getting out of control. How you go about that depends on whether you have just a few trees in your backyard or have hundreds over acres of land.

Homeowners

• Management options for yard trees [exit DNR]
• Professional, ground based insecticidal sprays for yard trees [exit DNR]

Woodlot Owners (generally 20 acres or more)

• Gypsy Moth Silvicultural Guidelines for Wisconsin [PDF, 77KB]
• Forest Management Strategies to Minimize Impact of the Gypsy Moth [PDF, 113KB]
• Aerial sprays for large acreages
  1. State, cost-shared, Suppression Program coordinated through the county
  2. Guide to Privately organizing an aerial spray project