The spread and movement of egg masses and pupae on nursery stock, forest products, equipment, and all types of vehicles, can be decreased by close inspection of objects moving from infested to non-infested areas. Their numbers declined after the episode in the 1990s and no acres were reported defoliated in 1997. The same course of events occurred in the 1980s when during the three years after that serious defoliation zero acres were reported damaged. An entomopathogenic fungus species has caused considerable mortality of gypsy moth populations in North America. A virus, along with small mammals and other natural predators, kept the moth's population down during their last cycle.
Fact sheets are available on the gypsy moth identification and the gypsy moth virus.
They include color photos and other important information.