About The Gypsy Moth Caterpillar

The European gypsy moth is native to temperate forests in western Europe. It was introduced to Canada in 1912.

The larvae live on a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees and can cause severe damage in years of mass reproduction. Due to these features, the gypsy moth is listed among the world’s 100 most invasive alien species.

How It Multiplies

The population of gypsy moths is cyclical, with large outbreaks every 8 years or so. The last serious outbreak hit Ontario in the early 2000s. Usually disease and predators help control the population. However, when the weather conditions are right, those diseases and predators fail to control the caterpillar and huge outbreak can occur.

In early May of 2022, gypsy moth caterpillars will emerge from the eggs that the adults will produce this year, clumping together on a tree near where their mother laid the egg mass.

Now For the really important part…

You probably see Gypsy Moths all over the place right now. They may look harmless enough, but they are searching for mates to breed with for to produce a new brood of young. These will become next years caterpillars.

A caterpillar can eat about one square meter of leaves as it grows from a tiny new caterpillar to a large adult caterpillar that’s ready to transform to an adult moth.

Once the caterpillars get big their eating becomes frenzied. They eat so much that their excrement, falls from above. The sound it makes hitting the ground has been compared to the pitter-patter of rain drops. 

If you want to minimize next years infestation of caterpillars, you need to eradicate as many adults as you can right now.

The time to control these insects is now, before they can lay their eggs!

There are chemical controls available but the must be applied by a licensed technician. We also offer do-it-yourself Gypsy moth traps that are very effective i catching these moths. However one thing is certain, if you see a lot of Gypsy Moths on your property you shouldn’t wait for them to lay their egg masses. Once the eggs are laid, the only thing that you can do is to scrape them off of every tree and dispose of them. This is a very labor intensive, and time consuming process. The traps, are so much easier. But you have to act now, before they lay their eggs.

As you can see on the video (left) we have access to professional grade tools and chemicals that can really wipe out these caterpillar problems. We have already eradicated these pests in several gardens in the Alliston / New Tecumseth area.

If your garden is full of Gypsy Moth right now, give us a call at 416-993-0987. We always give a Free, No Obligation Consultation, and quote.

Professional Strength Solutions

We are a professional pest control company. We can usually take care of your ant problem in one or two visits. We have specialized training, and are licensed by the Ontario Government. That gives us access to high quality ant control products that work!

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Unlike many pest control companies, we stand by the quality of our work. We’ll do the job right. Then we’ll follow up with you to be sure that you are satisfied with the results. If you aren’t completely satisfied, we’ll make sure that you are. Check out our google reviews and you’ll see what we’re all about!

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