A group of volunteers in Perth, Ont., is trying to remove egg clusters from LDD moth caterpillars, a forest-defoliating insect that has swept through the region chomping away at the small town’s tree canopy. Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD) moths, formerly known as Gypsy moths, are only about four to six centimetres long when they are caterpillars, but the little crawlers have a voracious appetite. Now, volunteers in Perth hope to mitigate the invasive species going forward by scraping LDD egg clusters off trees around town. Donnelly recruited about 17 volunteers who use butter knives or other dull-bladed instruments to carefully remove the egg clusters that cling to the tree bark. It also encourages all residents to take a look around their own property for the egg clusters and remove them.

Source: CBC News November 16, 2021 16:18 UTC