Help trees; scrape off spongy moth eggs

egg masses on spongy moth
Egg masses of spongy moth. Photo courtesy Karla Salp, Washington State Department of Agriculture, Bugwood.org

Now through spring, you can help protect your trees by looking for and destroying spongy moth egg masses, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

Egg masses appear as fuzzy, brown patches and can be found on trees, firewood, lawn furniture and other hard surfaces. Each egg mass contains 600-700 eggs.

To get rid of the eggs, scrape them off into hot, soapy water. 

The spongy moth (formerly called gypsy moth) isn’t native; it came from France. Spongy moths are naturalized, meaning that over time, they have become a functional part of New York’s ecosystem.

Removing their egg masses is not a cure for spongy moth infestations, but it can help reduce damage to local trees next year. 

When spongy moth outbreaks occur, which occurred in 2021 in Western New York, they are ended by natural causes such as predators and diseases. 

2 Comments on “Help trees; scrape off spongy moth eggs

  1. Jerry, you can find that information–and more!–on the link in the article. Just click on the link in the fourth paragraph and you will go to a page that has photos of the moth, the damage they do and more.

  2. Nice article but more information would be helpful such as what damage they do, a picture of the moth.

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