Lymantria dispar and progression to management strategies in the United States

Abstract

For more than 150 years, the exotic defoliator spongy moth, Lymantria dispar L. (Lepidoptera: Erebidae, formerly known as the "gypsy moth"), has impacted forests and been a nuisance to residents in the eastern United States. Management of this non-native, invasive species dates back to the late 1800s, and more recent eradication and suppression techniques have evolved from intensive, tedious management actions to integrated pest management programs that are coordinated by state and federal agencies. Five previous management programs dating from 1923 to 1999 have laid the framework for the current L. dispar management program. Specifically, three integrated pest management programs located in Maryland and the southern Appalachian Mountains developed the program structure and management actions used in the National Slow the Spread Program, which represents the main strategy of U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Spongy Moth Management Program.

Parent Publication

• Slow the spread: a 20-year reflection on the national Lymantria dispar integrated pest management program

Citation

Coleman, Tom W. 2023. Lymantria dispar and progression to management strategies in the United States. In: Coleman, T.W.; Leibhold, A.M., eds. Slow the spread: a 20-year reflection on the national Lymantria dispar integrated pest management program. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-212. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 1–27. Chapter 1. https://doi. org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-212-chapter1.