Anyone else getting alot of Gypsy Moth Caterpillars?

Just wanting to see how bad the Gypsy Moths are in different areas. I kept seeing these cats. early in spring and began to kill them but then I wasn't sure if they were butterfly cats. or moth. Well, I heard on the radio today many areas are overrun with them. My neighbor's tree overhangs the side of our house and they are concentrated there. I'm back to picking and drowning them.

I think your suppose to report them to the state. In Missouri you are. They will send out people to take care of them.

From what they're reporting, the stuff they've used to spray them this year is ineffective - something having to do with the weather conditions. I have to do more checking on this since I know they can be extremely damaging.

I did some more checking. The caterpillars are out of control because the Bacillus Thuringiensis kurstaki (a fungus) they use to spray is dormant this year, they think because of the dry weather last year. They say it should be effective next year since we've had alot of rain so far this year. They did say to report heavy infestations so they can spray those areas again. This one poor guy had 50 oak trees defoliated within 1 week! He timed one cat. eating a leaf and it ate it within 40 secs. They say it looks like something out of a horror show! I now realize all the little pellets that I thought were some new tree seed is really caterpillar poop! Ick!