Winter Moth Larvae

The winter moth lays its eggs during the fall and winter loosely on bark in furrows, hatches in early spring and begins feeding on leaf and flower buds of its host plant. This can lead to severe defoliation. Most deciduous trees can tolerate annual loss of 40% of leaves at any time during the growing season with little or no ill effects. If they lose more than 50% they will likely produce a second set of leaves. Unfortunately, three years or so in a row of continued leaf loss will result in tree mortality. G.L.C. can inspect your trees and recommend a course of action.