Gypsy moths are being found in pockets of southern New Hampshire, particularly Rockingham County and southern Hillsborough County. Greg Jordan, Rockingham County Extension Forester, provided an update on what he’s seen in his travels around the county.
“Gypsy moth is heating up in Rockingham County. At a recent meeting, the conversation was animated, as several people asked, ‘Did you see all the gypsy moth defoliation along the Everett Turnpike between Merrimack and Nashua? How about Kingston? Or Barrington just north of the Lee Traffic Circle?’
“Sure enough, I had a message from a Kingston resident after the meeting. On my way back to Brentwood along Route 107 I saw a lot of damage. Along Route 125 in Kingston and Brentwood is hit fairly hard. I checked a few spots and there is a lot of activity. The moths are hitting the oaks pretty hard and the females are laying a lot of egg masses right now.”
Other natural resources professionals have reported seeing many gypsy moths flying in areas of Fremont.
Also, the N.H. Division of Forests and Lands surveyed the area for gypsy moth defoliation. At the end of June, they found more than 7,000 acres affected by gypsy moths. This information is preliminary, as they have ongoing surveys of the area. Watch for more updates at the end of the summer.
Gypsy moths are done feeding for the season and no more defoliation will occur this year. We hope that after this population build-up, we will see a collapse in their numbers next or the following year. Learn more about gypsy moths.
