Gypsy Moths
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These non-native moths were introduced into Massachusetts in 1868, by a French scientist hoping to hybridize them with silkworms to develop a more disease-resistant strain of silk-makers. Some moths escaped from the lab, and had proliferated to the extent that an outbreak was reported in 1889. The caterpillar of the gypsy moth emerges in mid-May, and prefers to feed on oak trees. However, during significant infestations, they may feed on several hundred different species of trees and shrubs, both hardwood and conifer. According to an article in Wikipedia, the gypsy moth avoids ash trees, tulip-tree, American sycamore, butternut, black walnut, catalpa, flowering dogwood, balsam fir, cedar, American holly, and shrubs such as mountain laurel and rhododendrons, but will feed on these in late moltings when densities are extremely high. Older larvae feed on several species of hardwood that younger larvae avoid, including cottonwood, hemlock, Atlantic white cypress, and the pines and spruces native to the East. Although not preferred by the larvae, pines and hemlocks are subject to heavy defoliation during gypsy moth outbreaks and are more likely to be killed than hardwoods. A single, complete defoliation can kill approximately 50 percent of the pines and 90 percent of the mature hemlocks. This is because conifers do not store energy in their roots.Two consecutive defoliations of more than 50% of the crown of a tree can cause death of the tree within three years.
Gypsy moths are present every summer but usually in relatively low numbers. However, the population explodes episodically, and can devastate forrested land. Since 1980, over a million acres a year have been defoliated by gypsy moth. The worst year on record was 1981, during which almost 13 million acres were defoliated.
The most recent outbreak in the area of Yankee Lake was in 2006. Recommended treatment is aerial or ground spraying of a bacterium called "Bt" (Bacillus thuringiensis). When the caterpillar takes this bacterium internally, it causes the insect to become paralyzed, stops feeding, and dies of starvation or disease. The most efficient application in our area would be aerial spraying — this assures the application of the Bt to the canopy of the tree, which is the primary target of the pest, but it also penetrates to ground level and can eradicate pests all the way to the forest floor. Pump-spraying of trees from below is effective, but does not as efficiently eradicate the pest from the tops of the trees.
Geese Facts
Excerpts from “When Geese Become a Problem” NYS DEC
The best time to prevent geese habitation is in late winter, before they arrive. A goose produces a pound of droppings per day. Geese load nutrients into the lake, aging it prematurely. Geese are public health concerns at beaches and for drinking water supplies.
Discouraging Geese
Initiate control measures as soon as you notice geese in your area, and be persistent. No method works well with just a few attempts — a long-term strategy is needed. Do not feed the geese! Geese are very capable of finding food!
• Geese prefer well-manicured lawns. Wherever possible, let grass grow to its full height.
• Plant native shrubs or ground cover, such as ivy, pachysandra, or junipers along your shoreline and walkways to discourage geese.
• Install 80-100 pound test wires along your shoreline, 12–18 inches above the water surface, and attach bright colored rope to make them visible.
• Install wire fencing at least 30 inches tall along your shorelines.
• Use visual devices that frighten geese. Install Mylar tape that produces a flashing effect. It sells in 6" widths. String along the water's edge. Geese are reluctant to linger beneath an object hovering overhead. Place flagging on poles 6 feet or taller. Flagging can be balloons or 3-6 foot strips of 1 inch colored plastic tape or 2 'x 2' pieces of orange construction flagging. Some garden stores sell bird-scaring balloons, 30 inches tall with large eye-spots.
• Dogs that chase geese but do not harm them are effective.
• Geese return to the area where they hatched. If you have goose eggs, you can coat the eggs with vegetable oil to prevent them from hatching.