Gypsy moth caterpillars return in full force after heat wave

MILLIS, Mass. — Bare branches and shredded leaves are all that remain in some yards as gypsy moth caterpillars devour everything green.

One oak tree in Millis that is older than our country shows just how damaging the bugs can be.

“I think probably 70 to 80 percent of the foliage disappeared in three days,” certified arborist Scott McPhee said.

McPhee said a bad gypsy moth season was predicted, but then the weather turned mid-spring.

“The cool weather seemed to have put the brakes on what was promised to be a very bad season for gypsy moth,” he said.

But this week, the record setting heat has put a substantial amount of defoliation back in play.

“When the temperature came up, the switch was turned on - time to eat. And the caterpillars started eating,” McPhee said.

The destruction is subtle in some places, with dead leaves left helplessly behind but still blocking the sun.

“If my huge oak dies, it will break my heart,” Eva Morse from Millis said.

Cox Media Group