1992 Gypsy Moth Programs in the Southeast

The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), has been one of the most destructive hardwood forest insect pests in the northeastern U.S. since it was accidentally introduced in the late 1860's. The U. S. range of the insect has expanded annually by a few kilometers through natural spread. However, gypsy moth range expansion has been greatly mitigated by accidental transport of life stages on recreational and commercial vehicles and on outdoor household articles. They gypsy moth is one of two forest insects that are under Federal Domestic Quarantine enacted in 1912. Since the late 1800's Federal, State, and local governments have worked cooperatively in trying to eradicate, suppress, and/or control gypsy moth populations. Thousands of worker-hours and millions of dollars are expended annually on these cooperative projects. Although the goals of these projects are developed and implemented cooperatively, comprehensive summarizations of these efforts are limited. This study was designed to summarize and document the results of the 1992 cooperative gypsy moth survey projects in eight states that comprise the USDA-APHIS-PPQ southeastern region.