Signature: 

Children’s Playthings

Bicycles, tricycles

Playhouses

Sandboxes

Sleds, toboggans

Swingsets

Tire swings

Wagons

Other outside toys

like trucks or sand 

molds

Other Items

Cars or trucks

Car parts

Car ramps

Farm implements

Plants

Stored tires

(snow tires)

Yard and Garden Items

Animal houses

(doghouses, rabbit

hutches, etc.)

Barbecue grills

Birdbaths

Bird feeders

Bird houses

Bug lights

Carts

Coldframes

Driftwood

Fencing

Fertilizer spreaders

Flagpoles

Garden tillers

Garden tools

Lawnmowers

Mailboxes

Picnic tables

Porch or patio

furniture

Signs and posts

Snowblowers

Storage sheds

Swimming pools

Tractors and

trailers

Trees and shrubs

Trellises

Wheelbarrows

Yard decorations

Please inspect anything that was stored outside!

Don’t Move

Gypsy Moth

16

United States Department of Agriculture

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Program Aid No.1329
The U.S. Department of the Interior’s

National Park Service (NPS) supports a

nationwide integrated pest management

approach toward managing the gypsy

moth and other exotic pests. Education

and awareness are key in spreading the

word about gypsy moth. We gratefully

acknowledge NPS’ cooperation in

distributing this leaflet to park visitors.

Inspecting recreational vehicles and

camping equipment for gypsy moth eggs

before leaving home can significantly

reduce the likelihood of spreading this

pest to currently uninfested areas. We

appreciate NPS’ help in distributing this

brochure to visitors traveling through

National Park sites.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits

discrimination in all its programs and activities on the

basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age,

disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or

family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all

programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the

USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and

TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director,

Office of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building,

1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington DC 20250–

9410 or call (202) 720–5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is

an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Cover photo: Inspect your outdoor household articles like

decorative containers for gypsy moth egg masses. Use a

stiff brush for removing them. To destroy the egg masses,

place them in a container of hot, soapy water.

Photo credits: The cover photo and images in figures 4, 8

(top), 10, and 11 were taken by APHIS photographer Ann

Czapiewski. Images in figures 2, 3, and 7 were taken by

Linda J. Card, Maryland Department of Agriculture, and

are reproduced by permission. Photographs in figures 6

and 8 (bottom) were taken by USDA photographer Perry

Rech. Images in figures 5 and 9 come from the APHIS

photo collection.

Issued in this format December 1994

Significantly revised March 2001

Don't Move a Serious Pest to a

New Neighborhood

Planning to move from a State infested with gypsy

moth to one that is not infested? Moving your

camper or recreational vehicle across State lines?

You need to know about a regulation intended to

prevent the interstate spread of this pest.

Studies show that most new, isolated infestations of the gypsy moth were started from egg

masses transported on outdoor household articles—

garbage cans, lawn furniture, children's toys—any

item accessible to the female moth at egg-laying

time. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture

(USDA) enforces gypsy moth quarantine regulations

requiring that such articles be inspected for all gypsy

moth life stages prior to movement outside of the

generally infested area. As shown in figure 1, this

includes most of the northeastern part of the United

States.

Figure 1—The gypsy moth is widely distributed in the

Northeast. This map illustrates the parts of the United

States regulated for gypsy moth as of March 2001.

The area infested with gypsy moth changes each

year. You can find a map of the current regulated

area at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/maps

1934

1960’s

1970’s

1990’s

2000

2 3
In 1999, following a successful pilot project,

USDA’s Forest Service in cooperation with the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

launched the Slow the Spread (STS) campaign, a

program created to reduce the rate of gypsy moth

movement into noninfested areas. STS uses

education, detection, and control strategies to slow

the spread of this pest across the 1,200-mile gypsy

moth frontier from Wisconsin to North Carolina. The

program area is located ahead of the advancing

front of the gypsy moth population. The program

focuses on early detection and suppression of the

low-level populations detected along this advancing

front, disrupting the normal cycle of population

buildup and spread.

If you live where the gypsy moth is prevalent,

you know the damage the larval stage of this insect

can cause. Those leaf-eating caterpillars devour the

leaves of many hardwood trees and shrubs, giving

summer scenes a barren, wintry look. Gypsy moth

larvae have been known to defoliate up to 13 million

acres of trees in 1 season, damaging local ecosystems and killing trees outright. The larvae also crawl

on homes, litter lawn furniture and pools, and make

outdoor activities hard to enjoy.

People glad to be leaving the annoyance of

living with the gypsy moth took egg masses along

unintentionally—to hatch and spread far from their

old neighborhood. Millions of Federal and State tax

dollars are spent every year to limit the movement of

these pests and to eradicate the isolated infestations

that have been established in previously uninfested

areas. We need everyone’s help in detecting gypsy

moth populations and keeping this insect from

spreading to new neighborhoods.

Failure to inspect household articles for gypsy

moth life stages prior to movement from a regulated

area is a violation of USDA quarantine regulations

and may result in significant civil penalties. Inspecting your personal property for gypsy moths goes

beyond being a good neighbor: it is required by law.

Don't be responsible for moving an old pest to a new

neighborhood.

Figure 2—At first glance, this appears to be a beautiful

forest, but nearly half the trees in the background have

been defoliated by the gypsy moth. Defoliation alters

habitat, adversely affecting canopy and understory

ecosystems.

Figure 3—A severe infestation can leave trees barren in

the middle of the summer. Then, in an attempt to releaf,

trees use up stored energy and become stressed.

4 5
Inspecting for Gypsy Moth

You are responsible for making sure that your

outdoor household articles don't move the gypsy

moth. How you do this is your decision. The

quarantine regulations allow for self-inspection of

household goods, and this pamphlet was developed

to assist you should you choose to self-inspect.

Alternatively, you may pay a USDA-trained certified

pesticide applicator to inspect the articles you plan

to move.

APHIS officials work cooperatively with the

States in monitoring anyone who moves outdoor

household articles out of the regulated area. These

officials check to see if people who are moving have

a document certifying that their outdoor household

articles have been properly inspected and found to

be free of gypsy moth. Without such a certificate,

movement of the outdoor household articles constitutes a violation of the quarantine. Appropriate

action, including the assessment of civil penalties,

may be taken against the owner of the infested

household goods.

Self-Inspection

If you decide to do the inspection yourself,

include anything accessible to a gypsy moth.

Inspect any article left outdoors, stored in areas

open to the outside, or stored indoors but used

outdoors.

The checklist at the end of this brochure lists

many common outdoor household articles that could

carry gypsy moth life stages. Carefully examine

each article, remove any life stages found, destroy

them, and check the item off the list. Be sure to

enter the date and place inspected and sign at the

bottom. This will be your official certificate of selfinspection. Include this list with the paperwork

accompanying your move, and give it to the driver of

the moving van. If you are moving yourself, be sure

to keep the paperwork with you in case it is

requested at any point during your trip.

Professional Inspection

Participating State-licensed pesticide applicators are trained to inspect your household items and

treat heavily infested articles or inaccessible spaces

with registered pesticides if necessary. These

persons are also authorized to issue you a certificate stating that your outdoor household items are

free of gypsy moth.

This certificate will satisfy the requirements of

all uninfested States and will relieve you of liability

should your items be reinspected by a State official

in the destination State and be found to harbor

gypsy moth. The certificate must be issued prior to

the movement of the outdoor articles, and within 5

days of your departure during the period of active

egg laying (June through August).

You may find pesticide applicators who are

participating in the program through local

advertising.

Figure 4—If you inspect for gypsy moths on your own, make sure

to thoroughly check all outdoor household articles for egg masses

and remove and destroy them.

6 7
Recognizing Gypsy Moth Life Stages

If you choose to inspect your outdoor household

articles, you need to be able to identify gypsy moth

life stages. Most important is the egg mass. This

publication contains photographs to help you.

Figure 5—The gypsy moth egg mass is covered with buff

or yellowish “hairs,” giving it a velvety appearance.

The gypsy moth goes through four stages of

development—egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (cocoon), and adult (moth). It has one generation a

year. During the summer months, female moths

attach egg masses to trees, stones, walls, logs, and

other outdoor objects, including outdoor household

articles. Each egg mass contains up to 1,000 eggs

and is covered with buff or yellowish “hairs” from the

abdomen of the female. The velvety egg masses

vary in size but on average are usually about an

inch and a half long and three-quarters of an inch

wide (a little bigger than a quarter).

In southernmost infested States, eggs begin

hatching in late March. Hatching starts around early

May in the northernmost infested States. The

grayish, hairy caterpillars are tiny at first but easy to

identify when about half-grown because they have

pairs of red and blue dots on their back. Mature

caterpillars are from 1.5 to 2.5 inches long. These

caterpillars are voracious feeders and, in outbreak

situations, can devour all the leaves from the trees

and plants in entire neighborhoods and forests.

8 9

Figure 6—Identifying gypsy moth larvae is easy because

they have several pairs of blue and red dots on their back.

Figure 7—Gypsy moth caterpillars survive in high

numbers in North America because here, unlike Europe,

they don’t have many natural enemies.
Caterpillars stop feeding when they enter the

pupal or "cocoon" stage, ranging from May in

southernmost infested States to early July in northernmost infested States, varying with weather and

climate. Adult moths emerge from the dark-brown

pupal cases 10 to 14 days later. Males have light

tan to brown wings marked with dark, wavy bands,

and a 1.5-inch wingspread. Female moths are

larger than males and generally white, with a

wingspread of about 2.5 inches. Despite having

larger wings, the female moths cannot fly.

Population Growth and Decline

A number of factors, such as available food sources,

predators, parasites, and disease, affect the size of

the gypsy moth population each year. Depending

on the pest’s population cycle, homeowners may

experience severe gypsy moth infestations for a

year or two and then go several years without

noticing any obvious signs of infestation. Just

because the gypsy moth appears to have disappeared, however, does not mean it’s gone. It may

be present in small numbers 1 year, but before long,

the population cycle will resurge. In the absence of

monitoring and appropriate suppression, the gypsy

moth will again destroy trees and shrubs in infested

areas.

10 11

Figure 8—Adult

gypsy moths

emerge in the

summer from darkbrown pupal cases

that can remain on

trees and other

surfaces after the

moths are gone.

Figure 9—The adult female gypsy moth is about twice

the size of the male and white in color.

Neither sex feeds in the moth stage; adults

mate and lay eggs only. The eggs are the dormant

stage of the life cycle, allowing the pest to survive

winter weather. In the spring the eggs hatch,

starting the life cycle over again.
What To Do If You Find Gypsy Moth Life Stages

An effective way to dispose of gypsy moth life

stages is to remove them by hand. Scrape egg

masses from their locations with a putty knife, stiff

brush, or similar handtool. Dispose of egg masses

and other life stages in a container of hot, soapy

water, or place them in a plastic bag, seal it, and set

it in the sun. You may elect to abandon articles if

they are heavily infested and of little value to you.

Figure 10—Yard tools left outside during the spring and

summer months are a favorite spot for female gypsy

moths to deposit egg masses.

Some people are allergic to gypsy moth hairs,

which are attached to all life stages. Allergic reactions include skin rashes and respiratory disturbances. If necessary, wear gloves, protective

clothing, and a dust mask.

Depending on the time of year, you may have

to protect your articles from reinfestation by caterpillars or moths after inspection. The best way to do

this is to store the articles inside. Do not conduct

the inspection more than 5 days prior to your

departure.

Remember, you are the key to preventing the

interstate movement of gypsy moths on outdoor

household articles, including recreational vehicles.

Do your part to prevent the spread of this pest.

Figure 11—Make sure to turn over farm implements and

other equipment that can conceal egg masses from view

and provide protection against predators and harsh

winter weather.

12 13
Additional Information

If you need additional information about the Federal

regulations on moving outdoor household articles,

contact one of the following:

• Your State's regulatory officials, usually listed

under department of agriculture, plant protection or

regulatory division, in the State government section

of your telephone directory.

• A Federal regulatory official, listed in the Federal

Government section of your telephone directory

under USDA, APHIS, Plant Protection and Quarantine.

• Your county's agriculture extension agent, listed in

the Federal Government section of your telephone

directory under USDA, Cooperative State Research,

Education, & Extension Service.

• A local commercial moving company. Movers

have been cooperating with USDA to be sure that

the Federal regulations about gypsy moth are

followed.

For more information about gypsy moth and

APHIS cooperators in the fight to control this pest,

log onto the following Web sites:

STS Program

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/oa/pubs/fsgmpro.html

Species profile of the gypsy moth

• http://www.invasivespecies.gov/profiles/

eurogypsymoth.shtml

Biology and distribution of the gypsy moth

• http://www.ceris.purdue.edu/napis/pests/egm/

index.html

APHIS’ Agricultural Quarantine and Inspection

ports in the United States

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/travel/aqi.html

State partners

• http://www.reeusda.gov/1700/statepartners/

usa.htm

National Plant Board

• http://www.aphis.usda.gov/npb/npbmemb.html

Recreational or Camping Items

Backpacks

Basketball backboards

Bicycles

Boats

Boat trailers

Campers

Ice chests

Motorcycles

Motor homes

Household Items

Air conditioners

Barrels

Cardboard and

wooden boxes

Clothesline poles

Clothespin bags

Empty plant

containers

Firewood

House plants taken

outside during the

summer

Ladders

Outdoor doormats

Outdoor thermometers

Refrigerators

Sheets of plastic

Shutters

Storage sheds

Storm/screen doors

and windows

Tanks for propane

and oil

Television antennas

Trash cans

Washing machines

Water hoses

Weather vanes

Window awnings

Building Materials

Bricks

Cinder blocks

Cement mixing tubs

Lumber

Roofing materials

Sewer pipes

Tools and toolboxes

Water pipes

Welding equipment

Workbenches

Self-Inspection Checklist

Important: Make sure this checklist goes with

your household goods when you move!

Checklist and Record of Your Self-Inspection

Date:

Address: 

Recreational vehicles

Snowmobiles

Sports equipment

Tarps

Tents

Waders or boots

14 15