As they grow and reach maturity, the individual caterpillars consume tremendous amounts of leaf material per day. At the present time, Currituck County and the northern part of Dare County are the only areas in North Carolina considered to be generally infested with gypsy moths and resultingly are under a federal quarantine for the pest. The quarantine requires that articles having the potential of moving any of the life stages of the gypsy moth be restricted in their movement into areas outside the quarantine. Within the past few years traps set by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture revealed gypsy moths in Rockingham, Caswell, Northhampton, Hertford, Gates, Perquimans and Macon Counties. The female's body is stout and densely covered with hairs, and her antennae appear thread-like.
Gypsy moths produce only one generation each year.
Vertical objects such as tree trunks where females are most likely to be found attract the males. Females do not fly. Defoliation occurs most frequently in forests on dry ridges and steep slopes that have shallow soils, and on sandy plains that have deep, excessively-drained soils. Outbreaks also occur frequently along interfaces between forests and urban areas. Although the natural spread of the gypsy moth has not reached all of the susceptible parts of the United States, the insect has been able to move long distances into new areas as a hitchhiker.