USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service quarantines areas where risk of spread is high. Federal regulations control movement of outdoor household articles, firewood, recreation vehicles, logs, and other items that could carry Gypsy moth egg masses from quarantined areas. People who move out of infested areas are required to have outdoor articles inspected by a certified pest control specialist or do the job themselves, using USDA guidelines and forms. The forms must accompany the move. This avoids continuing efforts year after year to suppress and contain the moths.
Eradication is done according to a plan that takes account of the environmental impact at the site.
At the present time, several insecticides are registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as effective against Gypsy moths. One of them is carbaryl, which appeared on the market in 1958 under the name Sevin. Dimilin is an insect growth regulator. New formulations and application procedures have recently become available, adding to the range of possible uses of this new product. B.t. is sold under the trade names Thuricide, I, and Dipel, and consists of biological spore, spore fragments, and toxin specific for caterpillars.