STICKY BARRIER BANDS AFFECT DENSITY OF GYPSY-MOTH (LEPIDOPTERA, LYMANTRIIDAE) AND DAMAGE IN OAK CANOPIES

Sticky barrier bands made of duct tape and Tanglefoot were applied to only oak (Quercus spp.) trees in four wooded plots (0.14-0.25 ha) in 1 990 and to all trees in five wooded plots (0.25 ha) in 1991. All plots with banded trees were paired with plots of equal size with no banded trees to test the effect of bands on population density of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), and damage to oak foliage. Late-instar po pulation densities in the oak canopies of banded plots were 28% lower than those in unbanded plots. Defoliation, pupal numbers under burlap refugia, and the ratio of post-/pretreatment egg mass density were not significantly affected by banding. The number of egg masses deposited in the banded plots after the 1990 test was significantly higher than the number deposited in the unbanded plots. The inconsistent effect o f barrier bands on defoliation indicates that these devices should not be relied upon to protect oak foliage from gypsy moths.