Visit a newly revised MSU Extension website to learn about spongy moth, formerly gypsy moth, and what you can do to protect your trees this summer if you live in an area experiencing an outbreak.
It wasnât that long ago when every county in the area was spraying thousands of forest acres annually to control the growing invasive gypsy moth population.
Today, gypsy moth numbers again are on the rise after more than a decade of near dormancy; area residents will notice more of the insects in larger swaths of Northern Michigan this spring and summer, possibly for years to come.
The annoying moths and the destructive caterpillars from which they derive no doubt will create headaches for some property owners but experts say the level of infestation probably wonât compare in scope or severity to what this area experienced when the insect first arrived in Michigan.