Mech speaks to Maine Public about browntail moths and climate change
Angela Mech, assistant professor of forest entomology at the University of Maine, spoke to Maine Public about research that shows Maine’s browntail moth outbreaks may be fueled by climate change. About six years ago, browntail moths began to spread across Maine. Mech said this may be due to a changing climate, and its effects on a fungal pathogen that keeps browntail moths in check. “And like most fungi out there, they require cool wet springs to have the right climate to proliferate. And because of climate change we haven’t had those cool wet spring temps that really allow the pathogen to knock back browntail moth and so, one of the hypotheses as to why browntail moth is exploding is because of the lack of the right climate for the fungus,” Mech said. Connecticut Public Radio shared the Maine Public report.