PLEASE NOTE: As of July, 2021, the Entomological Society of America no longer recognizes the common name gypsy moth for Lymantria dispar. Our website will be updated with the new common name after it is selected.
Plant Industry - Plant Protection Section
Gypsy Moth
History
Originating from Europe, the gypsy moth was initially introduced into the United States near Boston in 1869 by Etienne Leopold Trouvelot, an amateur entomologist attempting to interbreed the gypsy moth and native caterpillars, with the goal of establishing a silkworm industry in North America. At the time of escape, the enclosures that held the caterpillars in Truvelot’s backyard overturned in a storm, releasing the caterpillars into the wild. Ever since, the gypsy moth has spread to the north, south, and west.
