GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The gyspy moth is one of North America's most devastating forest pests, and you can find them in Michigan.
"This is probably the best set of leaves on this oak tree right now," said a Grand Rapids resident Linda Morehouse.
The oak trees at Morehouse's home are covered with these fuzzy critters.
"They are crawling everywhere," Morehouse said. "You just watch the tree move."
The caterpillars will eventually turn into gypsy moths, leaving bite sized chunks before eventually eating all of the foliage. Morehouse has a temporary solution.
"I pinch them, I squeeze them and I throw them away," Morehouse said.
It's not just her oaks that are defoliated.
"You look at this, and it's devastating. You look at it, and it's hard to take," said Grand Rapids Parks Superintendent Joe Sulak.
The Oakgrove Cemetery's Oak Trees are barren.
"If we have year after year after year of this defoliation, the trees then start to decline heavily and then could die," Sulak said.
Last year, this same cemetery had almost no defoliation.
"We're noticing a significant population increase this year," Sulak said.
In a couple of weeks when the larvae stop feeding, the moths emerge and no longer eat the leaves.
Sulak said there isn't anything that can realistically be done now.
"At this time, we're past the proactive treatment stage, so what we're trying to get is the best bang for our buck," Sulak said.
The city is beginning a proactive approach for next year.
"People are calling in and they're letting us know where the sites are. We're getting to put some pheromone traps out to collect adults to see how that's spreading and if it is spreading and coming up with a plan," Sulak said.
If you see these pests on your own oak trees, you can try and treat them yourself using a insecticide. Morehouse said spraying a little dish soap mixed with water on the leaves will also work. Call 3-1-1 to let the city know where you see them.
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