Factors influencing the duration of gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) population outbreaks

Abstract

For the first time, an attempt has been made to reveal possible causes of the relative “brevity” of gypsy moth outbreaks in the Russian Far East. The results show that major factors limiting these outbreaks include the weakly manifested seasonal drift of gypsy moth foci, oviposition habits, as well as specific weather conditions during the period of larval development and death that facilitating the dispersal of insect pathogens in components of the forest ecosystem.