The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry took to social media on Wednesday with a pretty incredible photo that might fill you with some kind of emotion. Perhaps it'll be creepiness, itchiness, anger, or dread- no matter, it shows a problem that's been a problem before and has come back to be a problem for us Mainers now.

The Maine Department ACF shared a photo from 1910 of a pile of Browntail Caterpillar nests that had been gathered, piled up, and ready for incinerating. It makes you wonder how much ground was covered and how many trees were scaled to get that many winter webs. What doesn't make you wonder is why they were so vigilant to take care of their problem because we know the difficulties of having these invasive species around.

A Moth Mound Like None Other

Take a closer look at the mound of caterpillar webs they were getting ready to destroy!

USDA
USDA
loading...

The post from the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry shares what irradiation efforts looked like when the onset of Browntail started in New England, eluding to our current efforts of the #KnockOutBrowntail campaign happening this month to find and destroy the Browntail winter webs.

Reducing the Impact of Browntail Moth Activity

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry has a whole section of their website dedicated to information about this invasive species including how to help mitigate the problem pest right now to reduce their effects on humans (rash, respiratory issues) and the environment.

Current Efforts to Mitigate Browntail Problems In Maine

Right now a campaign is underway to educate property owners and hard-hit communities to take on mitigation efforts now before the pest starts getting active in the spring. #KnockOutBrowntail is an effort to inform people what to look for when searching for the caterpillar's winter webs and how to property clip and dispose of the creatures. Check out more about these efforts on the Maine Forest Service webpage about the campaign.

University of Maine Researchers Doing Browntail Moth Study

This pilot study is determining if pheromones could be the key to disrupting the Maine pests population and help reduce the infestation across the State of Maine. Ultimately, this research could be the large scale answer to dealing with the Browntail Moth problem here in the state.

13 Animals You Can Actually Own in Maine That Might Surprise You

When it comes to house pets, are you a dog, cat, or ostrich person? Yes, ostrich. You may be surprised what pets you are legally allowed to own depending on what state you live in. Here is a list of 13 pets you can surprisingly own in the state of Maine.

5 Animals That Are No Longer Found In the Wild in Maine

10 Actors Who Adopted Animals From Movie And Sets

More From WBZN Old Town Maine