Riker Mount Courtesy of David Shetlar, The Ohio State University, Department of Entomology
Photo Courtesy of Ken Aschliman

The gypsy moth is a non-native invasive pest that defoliates hardwood trees, especially oak trees. This pest was introduced into the United States in 1869, and by 1987 it had established itself throughout the northeast part of the country. Today, 51 of Ohio’s 88 counties are regulated under a quarantine by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. While this may have been one of Ohio’s first non-native invasive pests, it is not the last. Ohio now has populations of emerald ash borer, viburnum leaf beetle, and Asian longhorned beetle, all of which threaten the health of Ohio’s forests.