Browntail Moth Mitigation and Educational Clipping Event - Orono
Bureau / Program: Maine Forest Service
Date: February 8, 2024
Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Location: Apple Tree Behind Orono Middle School Across from Tennis Courts. Please park in the parking lot behind Orono Middle School/Orono High School
Event Type: Browntail Moth, Workshop/Training
There will be a Browntail Moth (BTM) educational clipping event held at RSU 26 in Orono, Maine on February 8, 2024 from 3:00 to 5:00PM. Please join local educators, including the Maine Forest Service and Orono Tree Board, to learn about the best way to mitigate browntail moth. We will host a brief educational presentation and then work on clipping webs on the RSU26 campus. This is a great time to learn how to mitigate BTM before temperatures warm enough to allow the immature caterpillars to begin their early spring movement. Caterpillars pose a significant human health risk (i.e. painful rash, respiratory reaction) to people who come into contact with their toxic hairs. You will leave this event knowing more about how to manage this human health pest. You could even use this knowledge to create community clipping events and mitigate populations within your yard and neighborhood.
**** Please Bring: gloves, pruners, pole pruners, buckets, eye protection****
What protective measures should I take when clipping webs?
- Work with a partner, especially when working from a ladder or from a lift.
- Wear protective eyewear.
- Wear gloves, long sleeves, and pants.
- Trees and shrubs may have toxic hairs from caterpillar activity.
- Individuals with known sensitivity to browntail moth hairs may want to leave web clipping to others.
- Do not clip webs that are outside your skill set (i.e. too high or near hazards such as powerlines), hire a professional.
- Here is additional information, including lists of contractors willing to do browntail work
Co-Sponsor: Maine Forest Service, The Town of Orono, the Orono Tree Board, Megan Schneider Realtor, and RSU 26.