Invasion of leaf-snatching gypsy moth caterpillars hits Twin Cities trees

Have you ever gone out to your garden and instead of a healthy plant found a stick?

Imagine stepping into your back yard and finding a beautiful oak tree without leaves in the middle of July. That is what happens when the gypsy moths invade. They make zombies look cute.

There's a nasty invasion of the leaf snatchers going on just east of Elk River. It's wonderful camping area along the Rum River. That's one reason why I wanted to share this photo from the Department of Agriculture. It shows a Gypsy Moth Nest. If you see one of these, destroy it! Grab some gloves, and put every last sticky web and goo into a plastic bag and wrap it tight.

Like the nasty Emerald Ash Borer, the nests, moths and caterpillars of the Gypsy moth are transferred by firewood. But don't think your pickup truck is not suspect if you've got a pile of 2x4's in the back. That's wood too.

Bugs are good and bugs are bad. It's the bad ones we need to be vigilant against.

Japanese beetles - smooch them. Emerald ash borers - eradicate. And now there's a new one out there that's bad for berry plants, the Spotted Wing Drosophila. Yikes. I thought mosquitos were a pest in Minnesota.

Have you had any experiences with nasty bugs? What happened, what did you do?