Moths are the plague of the clothing industry, feasting on the finest wool and cotton products. But by far most of their damage is done in agriculture, especially forests. The most notorious culprits are gpysy moths. They were introduced into the United States in 1868 in small numbers, but within 100 years had firmly established themsleves across the northeast.

They attack the forests at a remarkable speed, striping trees of their foliage. Some experts claim they defoliate over 1,000,000 acres of forest each year. And during the winter, when the forests are bare, they move quickly into homes and buildings, feasting on furniture and clothing. If their numbers are kept low, which is more and more possible, they are not as destrutive, but when they experience a population explosion they are capable of incredible damage.