Yes. They ball themselves up in the leaves when the moth lays her
eggs. When they are in the caterpillar stage they produce this web like
thing similar to a spider and come on down from the tree or house on
it. They like the cool part of the day and at night you can hear them
munching and dropping their refuse onto the ground. Which is also very
gross and slimy. Gypsy moths cycle off from the epidemic stage, then
gradually reduce in numbers and disappear for a few years. We have had
three or four separate sieges over a 30 year period. Whole sides of
mountains and forests have been defoliated in our area during an epidemic.

On Wed, 11 Jun 2003 16:19:56 GMT,
(Susan E Desjardins) wrote:

Yes. They ball themselves up in the leaves when the moth lays her
eggs. When they are in the caterpillar stage they produce this web like
thing similar to a spider and come on down from the tree or house on
it. They like the cool part of the day and at night you can hear them
munching and dropping their refuse onto the ground. Which is also very
gross and slimy. Gypsy moths cycle off from the epidemic stage, then
gradually reduce in numbers and disappear for a few years. We have had
three or four separate sieges over a 30 year period. Whole sides of
mountains and forests have been defoliated in our area during an epidemic.

I've seen this total defoliation several times, but not
recently (various places in the northeastern USA). As you
say, it's entire mountains and forests, just devastating.

We must be at a low point in their cycle. Let's hope it
lasts.

Pat