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AUGUSTA — Entomologists from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry say now is the time to remove browntail caterpillars from trees.
Browntail caterpillars cause a poison ivy-like rash and are impacting a broad swath of Maine, denuting trees.
Contact with the caterpillar’s hairs can cause severe reactions for some individuals. Browntail caterpillars spend the winter webbed in silken-wrapped leaves on the tips of branches of oak and apple trees.
Now is the time to look for the bright white silk tying a few leaves to the tips of apple and other fruit trees as well as oak tree branches, said a news release from the ACF.
Clip any webs and destroy them by dropping them into a bucket of soapy water and soaking it overnight, do not just leave it on the ground.
The caterpillars are ready to go once warmer weather arrives, so do this task as soon as possible, the state urges.
Browntail caterpillar webs can be found regularly in Maine from the New Hampshire border to Deer Isle, and inland to Raymond, Turner, Rome, Smithfield, Burnham and Eddington.
They are worse along the coast from Falmouth to Bristol and up the Kennebec River to Richmond.
In 2017, outlying patches of defoliation were found in the towns of Belgrade, Burnham, Eddington, Liberty, Lincolnville, Turner and Whitefield.
The moths have been seen all the way west to Kingfield, north to Ashland and east to Topsfield on the New Brunswick border.
href=”http://www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/tree_ailment.html”>www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/tree_ailment.html. Background information, a video showing how to clip the webs, a list of arborists who could prune webs out of your reach and a list of licensed pesticide applicators that can treat the webs can be found at: www.maine.gov/dacf/mfs/forest_health/invasive_threats/browntail_moth_info.htm For more information, contact the Maine Forest Service 207-827-1813 or your local University of Maine Cooperative Extension office.
