What Do Gypsy Moths Eat?
This section provides information about which foods gypsy moths prefer.
Gypsy Moth Food Preferences
There are published tables showing which tree leaves the gypsy moths prefer, and which they don't. Two such lists are provided later on this page.
Based on our own experience with trees on our property and others in our neighborhood:
Gypsy moths prefer oaks, white birch, and crab apple.
They like maple and red cedar
They will eat sassafras and sweet gum
They seem to avoid dogwood, magnolia, blue spruce,
sour gum, and cherry.
The table below is from the 2007 edition of the ORTHO Home Gardeners Problem Solver.
| Most Preferred | Somewhat Preferred | Least Preferred |
|---|---|---|
| Oak | Beech | Ash |
| Gray Birch | Black Gum | Black Walnut |
| Hawthorn | Cottonwood | Catalpa |
| Linden | Elm | Dogwood |
| Mountain Ash | Hackberry | Fir |
| Paper Birch | Hemlock | Holly |
| Quaking Aspen | Hickory | Horsechestnut |
| Rose | Magnolia | Locust |
| Serviceberry | Maple | Mountain Laurel |
| Tamarisk | Pine | Mulberry |
| Willow | Sassafras | Plane Tree |
| Witch hazel | Sweet Cherry | Sycamore |
| Apple, crabapple | Sweet gum | Tulip tree |
The table below is from the Extension Service of the University of Wisconsin.
| Favorite Foods | Acceptable Meals | Won't Touch |
|---|---|---|
| oak | maple | ash |
| aspen | walnut | balsam fir |
| willow | chestnut | locust |
| apple and crabapple | hickory | scotch pine |
| tamarack | cherry | red cedar |
| white birch | hemlock | tulip poplar |
| witch hazel | elm | catalpa |
| mountain ash | hackberry | sycamore |
| basswood | black and yellow birch | dogwood |
| linden | beech | |
| pine | cottonwood | |
| spruce | box elder | |
| ironwood |