The gypsy moth has long been a pest in fruit orchards in the northeastern United States. The caterpillar stage of this moth feeds
on the foliage of fruit trees, oaks, birches, and other types of commercially important plants. Since the moth is not native to the
United States, the natural predators that would normally control it are absent. Although insecticides are used to control the moth,
biological control--the use of a bacterium that causes death in the caterpillar stage--has also proven to be quite successful.
