The browntail moth is a scourge in Maine, America's most forested state, where it defoliates trees and causes a rash in humans that resembles poison ivy.
This 2017 photo by Holland Haverkamp shows a browntail moth caterpillar in Maine. The caterpillars can cause an itchy rash in humans, and a new study by University of Maine scientists states that their spread appears aided by climate change. – A forest pest that bedevils Maine residents and tourists with hairs that cause an itchy rash appears to be spreading due to warming temperatures, a group of scientists has found.
Warmer fall temperatures are especially beneficial to the pesky bugs because that allows them to get fatter before they hibernate for the winter, said Eleanor Groden, professor emerita of entomology at University of Maine and the principal investigator on the study.“If they come out of those webs as hearty individuals, older individuals maturity wise, then they are better able to withstand that period and you get higher populations,” Groden said.
It's another example of how climate change can aggravate pest problems and jeopardize human health, said David Wagner, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Connecticut who was not involved in the study. Climate change has already exacerbated problems with disease-causing pests such as mosquitoes and ticks, he said.
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Rash-causing moth spreading due to warming, scientists findA forest pest - the browntail moth - bedevils Maine residents and tourists with hairs that cause an itchy rash and appears to be spreading due to warming temperatures.
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Rash-causing moth spreading due to warming, scientists findA forest pest that bedevils Maine residents and tourists with hairs that cause an itchy rash appears to be spreading due to warming temperatures.
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Moth that causes rash is spreading due to warming temperatures, scientists findThe browntail moth is a scourge in America's most forested state, where it defoliates trees and causes a rash in humans that resembles poison ivy.
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