AUGUSTA, Maine - State forestry officials say that this year's infestation of the noxious invasive insect known as the browntail moth caterpillar is going to be worse than last year.
Maine Forest Service entomologist Charlene Donahue says winter surveys of webs in the tops of trees, such as oak and apple, show that browntail moth numbers are up, although biologists aren't sure why.
What people are sure of is that the hairs of the caterpillar can cause a nasty rash similar to poison ivy, along with respiratory distress in some people who come in contact with them.
"It's a really hairy caterpillar," Donahue says. "It has very small, almost microscopic, hairs on the body as well that have a chemical in them that causes a nasty reaction. And those hairs also have a hook on them, like a fish hook, a barb, so when they go in they don't come out."
Donahue says, this year, evidence of the caterpillar has been found from Waterville to Cape Elizabeth and Bath to Whitefield. The highest concentrations have been found in the Bowdoinham, Topsham, Bath, Harpswell and Freeport area.
Donahue says people in areas where the caterpillar has been found should take extra precautions during the late spring and summer. She says the chemical in the caterpillar's hairs can stay active for years.
