History of Gypsy Moths in the U.S. Along with other species, the
Gypsy Moth was imported into the United States in the mid-
nineteenth century with the intent of finding a species of silk
producing moth that could be hybridized to compete favorably
with the Silkworm Moth, yet not be subject to the many diseases
that the Silkworm Moth suffered in cultures. This experiment was
conducted by Leopold Trouvelot, an amateur lepidopterist from
Medford, Massachusetts, who at one time had more than a million
larvae in cultivation behind his house. In 1868 or 1869, several
individuals of adult Gypsy Moths escaped from his house, with
ten years elapsing before the neighborhood trees were badly
defoliated by resulting populations of the moth. From that
start, Gypsy Moths have become one of the most important forest
pests in the United States, defoliating millions of acres in the
northeastern U.S. The Gypsy Moth continues its spread, extending
into Virginia, North Carolina and Michigan, with isolated
pockets in the Pacific