Browntail moth populations in Maine crashed in 2024, so be expecting a much less itchy spring

A browntail moth caterpillar infestation in a chokecherry tree in Brunswick, closing spring. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Bring in
Proliferation of a fungus led to browntail moth populations to crater in 2024, which most likely signifies that Maine citizens gets reduction from the wooded area pest this spring and summer season, scientists mentioned.
“I’m cautiously positive a couple of much less itchy summer season,” mentioned Angela Mech, a College of Maine assistant professor of wooded area entomology who research the browntail moth.
After they come into touch with other folks, the microscopic hairs of the browntail moth caterpillars motive a crimson, itchy rash that may closing for weeks. The hairs too can motive breathing issues, particularly in other folks with power prerequisites reminiscent of bronchial asthma.
In spaces of prime infestations — which in previous years incorporated Yarmouth, Brunswick, Freeport and towns and cities additional up the Midcoast — the hairs, which is able to penetrate clothes, have been tricky to steer clear of, because the wind dispersed them extensively. Deering Oaks park in Portland additionally skilled heavy infestations within the early 2020s.

In most cases, the worst a part of the 12 months for contracting the rash is mid-Would possibly to overdue June. Maine pharmacies make selfmade anti-itch compounds to take a look at to offer reduction.
Thomas Schmeelk, Maine Woodland Provider entomologist, mentioned that the state tracks defoliation led to through the caterpillars, and noticed it plummet from 46,000 acres in 2023 to two,000 acres in 2024.
Schmeelk mentioned climate prerequisites in each the ones years — basically wet springs — helped spice up the inhabitants of the fungus, entomophaga aulicae, and likewise a virulent disease that assaults the caterpillars.
Schmeelk mentioned the level of the inhabitants plunge was once a “little bit unexpected,” however the pathogens had very best climate prerequisites to assault the caterpillars during the last two years.
“From time to time it could actually take more than one years as a way to crash the inhabitants,” Schmeelk mentioned.

Mech mentioned school and scholars were tracking and researching browntail moth populations in Orono for years, and this summer season they noticed the fungus devastate native populations.
“The fungus ruined our experiments as a result of we ended up with a large number of lifeless caterpillars,” Mech mentioned.
UMaine was once looking to learn about how lengthy the caterpillars may pass with out feeding. Mech mentioned there was once some proof that caterpillars steer clear of consuming leaves from bushes handled with BTK, a organic, environmentally-friendly insecticide. In the event that they steer clear of consuming the leaves, would they die of hunger? Or may they live on and return to consuming the leaves as soon as the BTK had dissipated from the leaves?
Browntail moth caterpillars generally tend to feed on leaves of fruit, oak, birch, elm and poplar bushes.
Mech had additionally prior to now pointed to how “zombie caterpillars” from fall 2023 can have helped scale back populations in spring 2024. Caterpillars inflamed with the fungus within the fall turn out to be carriers, and it “zombifies” them. The “crawling lifeless” will then raise the fungus to wintry weather nests which might be being constructed. When a brand new inhabitants of caterpillars emerges within the spring, those who come into touch with the lifeless caterpillars would possibly pick out up the fungus.
The college may be researching whether or not a pheromone can be utilized to disrupt the mating patterns of browntail moths, otherwise to keep watch over the inhabitants.
Browntail moth populations most often undergo a boom-bust cycle that lasts 10-12 years, and 2024 was once thought to be the 9th 12 months of the present outbreak. So in 12 months 10, 2025, it seems that most likely that Maine will input a “bust” cycle for the browntail moth.

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Author: OpenAI