New York Trees and People are Hoping This Bug is Gone in 2025

Like everyone else I am looking forward to Spring and warmer weather but I will admit I am dreading the return of the bugs. There is one pesky insect from 2024 that hopefully won't be returning in 2025, The Spongy Moth.

Spongy Moths May Not Return in 2025 According to NYS DEC

I am sure you don't have to go too far back in your memory to recall the large amount of caterpillars that soon became moths we dealt with last Spring and Summer. Confused by some as a Tent or Gypsie Moth the Spongy Moth ate its way through our Hudson Valley forests.

Sadly, some of the trees will have permanent damage and possibly die due to the amount of defoliation they experienced. If you were in the Hudson Valley last year you couldn't help but witness the destruction.

The caterpillars were all over the ground making a mess. Their poop was everywhere even falling out of the trees. Once the caterpillars reached the tree tops they began eating all the leaves. The munching was ridiculously loud.

The final annoyance was when the caterpillars morphed into moths and spent weeks flying around making egg nests on trees. This was to make sure there would be a next-generation attack. However, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC), this year could see the end of the Spongy Moth invasion in New York.

Spongy Moths are non-native insects that found their way to the U.S. from France. Outbreaks occur every 7 to 10 years. According to the NYS DEC The current outbreak in New York Began in 2020 in the Finger Lakes.

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Last year the worst defoliation occurred in our area of the Hudson Valley. Columbia, Dutchess, Ulster, and Orange Counties were all hit hard by these Moths with the munchies.

Through aerial surveys, DEC mapped about 600,000 acres of defoliation in southeastern New York in 2024. Outbreaks typically collapse after 3 to 5 years, so we should be nearing the end of this outbreak. (NYS DEC Press Release)

The NYS DEC plans to monitor this year for what it calls Oak Mortality in central and northeastern New York. The multi-year defoliation by the Spongy Moth and drought in some areas could mean that many of our oak trees may not recover.