Winter Moth Watch –
Fall 2012
Action Reminder
Special Winter Moth Edition – October 20th, 2012
Regular VSR to follow
“It’s not even winter yet”
What’s happening? What are they up
to? …. When we last left off, the island’s Winter Moth population
has been actively pupating (in their cocoons of course) in the dirt under
trees. This pupating has been happening since
around June.
Well, the happy-go-lucky lifestyle of “our” winter moths is
just about over as they get ready to rise
up from the ground as adults. Soon
they will give in to the temptation of hormones and pheromones (ohhhh, the
pheromones!) as the realities of adulthood take their hold.
Adult female Winter Moth coming out of cocoons are flightless.
They march up tree trunks of deciduous trees and shrubs and wait to attract
“ready-to-go” males for mating (and really what male isn’t ready to go). Male
Winter Moths are flightfull, and can erupt in sizable numbers when searching
for a female to lose themselves with. Adults are coming up to mate, lay eggs,
and die – simple as that.
When – “Nov. 1st” –”November 1st” has
been the buzz “timing phrase” when talking with experts (Charlene) about when
these Winter Moths come up from the ground. These are “wild animals” though and
with this year being such an amazing year for insects (is there anyone who
hasn’t had a Tussock Moth caterpillar land on them?) we (Vinalhaven people)
could see the adults a little early (like next week) or later into December or beyond. Depending on conditions.
Where – so far sign of the winter
moth has been reported/observed “in town” - Pond Street, Skoog Park and the Sands area, Skin Hill, Flea Market
field, and unconfirmed out to Roberts Harbor. There is still much to learn
about the local range of these moths.
What can I do? - #1) – Band ‘em or Wrap those rascals! –
If
you “live in town “ or suspect that you have winter moths on your property, you
are going to want to have some, if not all your deciduous trees “banded”. Banding
your tree with extremely sticky stuff (instructions below) catches the females
before they make their way up your favorite tree.
Banding helps in many ways – (A) it captures females before
they lay eggs on YOUR trees! (b) –it lets you know conclusively
if you whether you have winter moths living near that particular tree! (C) and
even just getting a few trees banded will teach you a lot about the state of
your yard.
You
can band your trees yourself –
Viking has materials for the tanglefoot applications described in recent Wind publications. Boone note: To get Tanglefoot off tools use mineral spirits
or paint thinner. To remove from hands/skin/hair (if you have hair) use baby
oil/veg. oil, followed by washing with soap & warm water.
If you already work with a landscape/garden
service on the island, contact them directly to inquire about tree-banding
Or
you can in “the pros” –
Ethan Hall (207) 390 – 0119
or James Rigsby (207) 975 - 6491
You
can also contact Marjorie Stratton at the town office - :
to
find out more information on banding and the state of the Winter Moth scene on
Vinalhaven.
It
is recommended that you wait until after
October 31st, so trick or treaters aren’t accidently blown into
the tanglefoot. Would be fun to see pirates, princesses, ninjas, and super
heroes stuck to trees though. Anyway…
What can I do #2) Go for a drive – please report any flights of moths you may observe over the next few months. If you are
driving at night, before dawn or at dusk and see moths flying – let someone
know! Tell Marjorie where you saw it, get in
touch with us here at the VSR, have your neighbor tell someone else.
Few
moths are active these days, with less being active the further we go into the
fall seasons.
CONCENTRATIONS OF
ACTIVE, ADULT MOTHS
ARE MORE THAN LIKELY TO
BE WINTER MOTHS
PLEASE REPORT SIGHTINGS.
