Bangor Has Begun Browntail Moth Winter Mitigation

The City of Bangor announced on Friday that they have begun winter mitigation efforts to reduce the Browntail Moth population that has grown in the area.

Last spring, the Bangor area had started to see a surprising increase of the insect that causes rash and respiratory issues from the poison on its hairs. The mid-coast has been the primary location for the insects' growing population for a few years but has had a long-standing century-old infestation of this invasive insect.

The efforts put forth by the city of Bangor include a survey of the infestation on public property for future winter web clipping efforts.

The city states its efforts are not for private property but has provided plenty of resources for property owners to mitigate the problem themselves including videos on how to look for webs, how to clip the webs and dispose of the nests properly as well as provide a list of arborists available if trees are too high to clip nests.

So, expect to see the Public Works crews and Parks & Rec Department out soon to start clipping moth webs in various public spaces around the City of Bangor to help reduce the population of this pest for, hopefully, a less itchy springtime in a few months time.

Visit the City of Bangor's website to see updates on the Browntail Moth mitigation being done by the city as well as resources for property owners to mitigate the infestation on their own.