Maine wildlife officials say that they've seen a few early indications that rainy weather may be curtailing some populations of browntail moths.
Maine Forest Service Entomologist Tom Schmeelk says the wet conditions are optimal for the growth of a fungus and virus that can kill the insects, whose hairs can cause an itchy rash.
Schmeelk says the forest service recently observed high mortality of caterpillars on Eagle Island, off the coast of Harpswell. But they've yet to see large die-offs on the mainland.
"But we haven't been out to our monitoring sites this week yet. So we're sort of hoping we'll find some infected caterpillars there," Schmeelk says.
"The fungus and the virus, they do take time to incubate in their hosts, before they kill them and produce spores or viral droplets," he added. "So we're just in a holding pattern. But I do believe we'll see some mortality from both of those pathogens on the mainland."
Schmeelk says Waldo, Penobscot and Androscoggin counties are seeing an increased browntail population this year.
In order to prevent the insect's spread, Schmeelk says that residents should try to keep outdoor lights off beginning in late June.
