Reporters from the Portland Press Herald interviewed budworm experts from the Maine Forest Service and the University of Maine to cover the growing SBW situation in Maine. Click here to read the full article and visit the UMaine Spruce Budworm Lab L2 Map to keep tabs on the growing populations in Maine.
“We have a massive population across the border that is inflating our numbers, with probably half of our moths coming over from Canada and half expanding out from local hot spots,” Thompson said. “But it kind of doesn’t matter. The budworm doesn’t stop at the border. Their problem is our problem.”
– Portland Press Herald, October 2024
A budworm moth can fly 20 to 30 miles on its own wing power, Thompson said, but a few good gusts of wind can expand its flight range to several hundred miles, putting Aroostook County within easy reach. Quebec City is less than 100 miles from the international border.“
