Gypsy+Moth+-+amira

=__General information__= scientific name- //Lymantria dispar //The gyspy moth catapillers are hairy and usually are approximately 2 to 3 mm long when they are hatched. They grow to be about 60mm long. They have two rows of spots along their backs. Adult moths can fluctuate in appearance,adult males are tan and brown with black wing markings they have wing spans of about 37 to 50 mm. Adult females are larger with a wingspan of 62 mm, they are whitish in color with wavy markings on their wings.(1)

=__Detailed Description (Life Cycle / Reproduction)__= Gyspy moths usually lay their masses of eggs on tree trunks and branches, but their eggs can be laid in any sheltered location. In six weeks the eggs will devlop into larvae.The longer they are chilled in winter, the less heating is required for their hatch in spring. When the female lays the eggs she covers them with a hair like substance, this keeps other animals from eating them. The female lays any where from a couple hundred eggs to 1200 eggs. The adult gyspy moths will die after they mate.

=__Habitat and Distribution__=

The gyspy moths were introuduced to North America in 1868. A french scientist noticed that they were susceptible to disease, so he brought them over to try to make a hybrid that could resist disease. They escaped from his lab and started to multiply. By 1987, the gypsy moth had established itself throughout the northeast USA and southern Quebec and Ontario. Since then they have spread south into Virginia and West Virginia, and west into Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

=__Impacts__= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3w3Q4Ua6wk Gyspy moths don't kill tress directly, they defoliate them. The insects leave the trees vulnerable to disease and other pest invfestation.(3)

=History= The gyspy moth is navtive to Africa,Asia, and Europe. It was introuduced into the United States in 1869. The gypsy moth is one of the most hated pests in the United States. Millions of dollars have been spent by federal, state and local governments trying to exterminate them, but they are still spreading. Egg masses on travel trailers and campers have helped to speed up the spreading of the gyspy moths. Because of large areas of susceptible forests and few natural enemies, the gypsy moth has become well established in many new areas.(4)

=Control.= Millons of dollars are being spent to try to get rid of the gypsy moth population and keep tree poputlations alive. California agriculture officials have quarantined a rural 5-square-mile section of Ventura County near Ojai to prevent spread of a newly found gypsy moth colony (1) = =

=__Works cited.__= "Gypsy Moth." __Wikipedia__. 16 11 november. 21 Nov 2008 . "Gypsy moth." __Britsh Columbia government__. 2007. 16 Nov 2008 . "Gyspy moth ." __minnestota department of natural resources__. 2008. 15 Nov 2008 . __4 [|**http://www.ent.msu.edu/gypsyed/docs/history.html**]

Discussion Posts. 1.__ Mr.hakeemm is my favorite teacher. 2. more on this later.