Rainy, cold weather may have silver lining: fewer browntail moths

PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 5, 2023

The cold, damp and rainy start to June could mean fewer itchy rashes in the weeks to come. Such weather is ideal for the proliferation of a fungus that can knock back browntail moth caterpillar populations. Thomas Schmeelk, an entomologist with the Maine Forest Service, said he saw many caterpillars that had been killed by the fungus Monday as he was observing conditions at Eagle Island off Harpswell. “It’s not a guarantee, but the rains are coming at just the right time,” Schmeelk said.