A New Pest Concern in New England:
Winter Moth

The University of Connecticut and The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station will be conducting visual surveys for winter moth larvae in Connecticut during May and June 2006 to learn more about the distribution of this new pest. Please contact donna.ellis@uconn.edu  (860-486-6448) if you suspect you have this pest on ornamental plantings or lorraine.los@uconn.edu  (860-486-6449) for larva found on apples, blueberries or other fruit.

We recently received notification from a laboratory at the University of Massachusetts that winter moth (Operophtera brumata), a new pest of concern in New England, has been confirmed in several towns in New London County, Connecticut.  Adult winter moths were captured in pheromone wing traps placed on host trees in December 2005 as part of a survey conducted by the USDA APHIS Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) program in Connecticut.  This exotic insect is of great concern in our state due to its propensity for significant feeding damage to a number of fruit crops, trees, shrubs, and perennials.  Since 2003, winter moth has moved from coastal areas of Massachusetts to several inland towns and has also been found causing extensive damage in all counties of Rhode Island.  Winter moth has also recently been confirmed in New Hampshire and Maine.   

Winter Moth Larva Damage on Mountain Ash photo:  Hannes Lemme, , www.forestryimages.org click photo for a larger image	Winter Moth Larva photo:  Louis-Michel Nageleisen, Département de la Santé des Forêts - France, www.forestryimages.org click photo for a larger image
Winter Moth Adult photo:  Louis-Michel Nageleisen, Département de la Santé des Forêts - France, www.forestryimages.org click photo for a larger image	Winter Moth Adult photo:  Daniel Adam, Office National des Forêts - France, www.forestryimages.org click photo for a larger image

Winter moth is a harmful plant pest in Europe that was introduced into Nova Scotia in the 1950s.  The exotic moth is regarded as a major pest of agricultural crops.  It is a generalist feeder with the potential for causing destructive injury on a wide range of host plants. The immature moths, called larvae, inchworms, or loopers, attack many types of fruit, including apples, blueberries, and cherries, a number of trees and shrubs such as maple, oak, ash, birch, elm, linden, and crabapple.  Additionally, winter moths have been observed on viburnum shrubs, roses, and other perennial crops that are a vital component of Connecticut agriculture and natural areas. Winter moth has become well acclimated to conditions in New England, and has adapted to Massachusetts and Rhode Island coastal and some inland climates.  Based on its rapid rate of establishment there, it has been found to produce high numbers of offspring. Young larvae feed in and cause severe damage to developing buds on host plants, while older larvae become free feeders on plant foliage, which may cause complete defoliation.   

Winter moth larvae are similar in appearance to the larvae of Bruce spanworm (Operophtera bruceata), a common species in forests and woodlands in Connecticut and New England.  Larvae are pale green caterpillars with a white stripe running down each side of the body.  They have 2 pairs of prolegs, which are located at the back end of their body.  They grow to a length of about 1 inch.  Larvae are expected to be feeding on foliage within the next 2-3 weeks.

A fact sheet on winter moth can be found on this University of Massachusetts website (http://www.massnrc.org/pests/pestFAQsheets/winter%20moth.html) 

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