Backyard gatherings just weren’t an option this June, lamented Washington Grove resident Maureen Neumann.
With Maryland suffering its worst gypsy moth outbreak in 12 years, the peppercorn-like caterpillar droppings were unbearable, blanketing their wooden patio and requiring a cover even over the dog’s water bowl, she said.
Her husband David Neumann pointed to a tiny oak sapling beside the patio, its leaf now spotted with holes like a piece of Swiss cheese.
The green ‘‘crown” of treetops ringing their home is thinner than usual, he said, an indication of the moths’ voracious appetite that can kill trees.
‘‘It’s not like it’s been in the past,” David Neumann said.
The outbreak prompted the Maryland Department of Agriculture to spray pesticides on 50,000 acres of public and private land statewide in May.
The state sprayed pesticides in several areas in Montgomery County including Washington Grove, Colesville, Takoma Park, near Garrett Park, Little Bennett Regional Park in Clarksburg, Great Seneca Stream Valley Park near Damascus, near Rock Creek Stream Valley Park in Derwood, Ednor Acres near Olney and near Woodside Park in Silver Spring, according to the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s Web site.
Since 1991, the state has treated an average of 32,800 acres annually and seen an average of 27,000 acres of defoliation annually, said Bob Tichenor, a forest pest management chief with the Maryland Department of Agriculture.
But the warm and dry weather the past two seasons has discouraged the growth of the virus and fungal diseases that hinder the moth population.
Moth eggs hatch in April, and the caterpillars munch on oaks and other hardwoods in June. The Maryland Department of Agriculture considers them the most destructive pest of forest and shade trees in the state.
Final defoliation figures for this year should be completed by week’s end, and will help determine what to expect next season, Tichenor said.
Early estimates show Montgomery County is not among the worst moth-eaten areas this year, which include northern Maryland counties such as Frederick, Carroll, Garrett and Washington, he said.
Gaithersburg Public Works Director Jim Arnoult said city officials haven’t noticed significant defoliation.
Art Nelligan, park manager for Little Bennett Park in Clarksburg, also said he hasn’t noticed a gypsy moth problem recently. The state sprayed pesticides along a parcel of land just outside the park, he said.
The last major outbreak in the park was about 20 years ago, Nelligan said.
Jane Kinzie, co-founder of Kinzie Farms, a landscaping company with offices in Bethesda and Poolesville, also hasn’t seen a significant leap in moth population.
‘‘I’ve heard about the increases though, and it’s giving me heart palpitations,” she said with a laugh.
Still, Montgomery County wasn’t sprayed at all in 2006 because surveys showed then it was unnecessary, and that likely will lead to the area reaching its peak next season, Tichenor said.
Homeowners like the Neumanns often are the hardest hit by gypsy moths, as the moths can significantly weaken trees through defoliation, which can potentially kill the trees and require a costly removal process.
Removing the trees can cost between $1,000 to $2,000 each, Tichenor said.
Trees might not immediately die from the moths, but could be weakened enough from the stressful experience to succumb to other conditions, such as root rot, he said.
But a defoliated tree isn’t necessarily a dead tree, and the critical thing right now is to water wounded trees, he said.
‘‘You have to leave a hose on trickle underneath the tree ... let water pool up and soak into the ground for hours,” Tichenor said. ‘‘Do it a good overnight soaking once every two weeks.”
David Neumann said he understands the state is against a wall financially, but is bothered that the most recent survey led to only the treatment of the southeast portion of Washington Grove.
Other areas might have been missed because egg masses were carried after the initial survey was conducted, Tichenor said.
‘‘In some places we do have also a limited budget, too,” said Sue Dupont, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. ‘‘We don’t have a lot folks. We look at where we’ve seen problems, and they’re not just out there looking for gypsy moths. They’re doing a lot of other forest pest work and plant pest work.”
The state budget crunch is certain to complicate the issue as the moths make ‘‘a major comeback,” said Stanton Gill, an extension specialist in integrated pest management with the University of Maryland.
He encouraged people to petition the government to make funding moth suppression a priority.
As for Washington Grove, it’s ‘‘not beyond the realm of possibility” that the town hire a private contractor next year for moth surveying and eradication, said Town Councilwoman Georgette Cole.
‘‘The trees are extremely important,” she said. ‘‘Without the tree canopy, Washington Grove as we know it truly wouldn’t exist.”
Moth Melee
Anyone whose trees have been attacked by the caterpillars is encouraged to report the incident to the Maryland Department of Agriculture by calling 301-662-2074.
