“and it is not quite as bad as in the 1980s, when gypsy moth caterpillars were more widespread and were found everywhere from sidewalks to screen doors”
This brings back memories! Trucks cruising around spraying eveything in sight with pesticides, guys with homemade flamethrowers taking out entire trees to kill one nest. You couldn't walk 2 feet with squishing 500 of those things, and they would spray their guts everywhere. I have some funny memories of these little terrors. When I was a kid they were used as slingshot ammo or were scooped up in handfuls and dumped in the nearest girls hair.
It seemed like it was always raining, because you could hear their poop falling through what was left of the leaves.
My little brother used to fill big clear bgas of them and ride his bike over the bag. They were everywhere.
I remember that too!!
Every tree had duct tape wrapped around their trunks so the little critters couldnt make it to the leaves..They were YUCK!
Sounds pretty creepy!
Yea I remember the Gypsy Moths invasion from when I was a kid here in MA in the early 80's. It was NASTY! At night you could hear millions of them chomping on leaves. It sounded like it was raining out. We used to have fun by collecting a bunch of them in jars and lighting them on fire. Another fun pastime was stuffing like 50 of em into the sparkplug hole of our lawnmower then starting it up. Also if you tapped them just the right way with your shoe they would make this loud popping noise. Great fun!
Oh yea almost forgot about the wonderful feeling i had while torching their nests with cans of hairspray and a lighter. :)