[MassChestnutOrchards] Winter moths arrive in Rhode Island

[Rufin Van Bossuyt]

Re: [MassChestnutOrchards] Winter moths arrive in Rhode IslandFour insects have been a real problem in parts of Massachusetts in recent years. Larvae of the winter moth were active this year on the American chestnut tree in Orleans that we pollinated a few years ago. Large Silver maple trees at our Harwich Port house were hit hard by the winter moths. Most leaves that survived were severely chewed and looked lace like. With the abundant rainfall of last spring,the trees put out new leaves and the trees looked normal the rest of the summer and fall.
There was a sever outbreak of 17 year cicadas along the south side of the Cape Cod Canal last summer. The adults cut into twigs to lay eggs and then the twigs die. Some of the oaks lost almost all of their foliage and then died.Out breaks of Gypsy moths and Forest tent caterpillars occurred in places.
Where trees were defoliated early in the season by winter moth and then again by the other insects after putting out new leaves, or by several years of defoliation, trees died. There are a lot of dead oaks along Rt.495 south of Rt. 24.

Rufin



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Yvonne Federowicz 
  To: masschestnutorchards at masschestnut.org 
  Sent: Thursday, December 10, 2009 4:03 PM
  Subject: Re: [MassChestnutOrchards] Winter moths arrive in Rhode Island


  P.s. I think that Rufin has mentioned these before - they are spreading to most of our orchard areas now...


  On 12/10/09 4:02 PM, "Yvonne Federowicz" <Yvonne_Federowicz at brown.edu> wrote:


    These moths have just arrived west of Narragansett Bay - they are in parts of eastern MA as well.

    Since they include oaks, maples, apples (!) and many other species in their feeding, it's possible chestnuts would also be targeted.

    The caterpillars apparently devour buds.  Here is more information:

    http://www.umassgreeninfo.org/fact_sheets/defoliators/winter_moth.pdf

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