Editing Winter moth (section)

{{Short description|Species of moth}}
{{self-reference|In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species ''Operophtera brumata'', but may also refer to a native species, ''[[Erannis tiliaria]]'' (linden looper) or ''[[Operophtera bruceata]]'' (bruce spanworm).}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Operophtera brumata01.jpg
| taxon = Operophtera brumata
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms = ''Cheimatobia brumata'' L.<ref name=cheimatobia>{{cite web |url=https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/37695 |publisher=CABI Invasive species compendium |title=Operophtera brumata (winter moth)|date=2021 |doi=10.1079/cabicompendium.37695 |access-date=2019-07-23}}</ref><br />''Chimatobia brumata''<ref name=chimatobia>{{cite web |url=http://ubio.org/NZ/detail.php?uid=39237&d=1 |publisher=Nomenclator Zoologicus |title=Chimatobia|access-date=2019-07-23}}</ref><br />''Phalaena brumata'' L.<ref name=cheimatobia />
}}

The '''winter moth''' ('''''Operophtera brumata''''') is a [[moth]] of the family [[Geometridae]]. It is an abundant species in [[Europe]] and the [[Near East]] and a famous study organism for evaluating insect population dynamics.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Futuyma |first1=D.J. |title=Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics |date=2013}}</ref> It is one of very few [[lepidoptera]]ns of temperate regions in which adults are active in late autumn and early winter.  The females of this species are virtually wingless and cannot fly, but the males are fully winged and fly strongly. After the initial frosts of late fall, the females emerge from their pupae, walk to and up trees and emit [[pheromone]]s in the evening to attract males. After fertilization, they ascend to lay, on average, around 100 eggs each. Typically, the larger the female moth is, the more eggs she lays.

The winter moth is considered an [[invasive species]] in North America. [[Nova Scotia]], Canada, experienced the first confirmed infestations in the 1930s. It was later accidentally introduced to Oregon in the 1950s and the Vancouver area of British Columbia around 1970. Defoliation by the moth was first noted in eastern states of the United States in the late 1990s, and is now well established in [[Massachusetts]], [[Rhode Island]], [[New Hampshire]] and [[Maine]]. The winter moth is confirmed present in [[British Columbia]], [[Washington (state)|Washington]] and [[Oregon]].<ref>{{Cite news|last = Cairn |first = North |title = Experts: Destructive winter moths are spreading  | newspaper = Portland Press Herald  | location = Portland, Maine  | date = 8 December 2012  | url = http://www.pressherald.com/news/experts-destructive-winter-moths-are-spreading_2012-12-09.html  | access-date = 9 December 2012}}</ref> In Massachusetts, the moths have attracted the attention of several media outlets due to the severity of the infestation.<ref>{{Cite news   | last = Noonan  | first = Erica  | title = Mystery Pests  | newspaper = Boston Globe  | location = Boston, Massachusetts | date = 3 December 2009  | url = http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2009/12/03/invasion_of_winter_moths_has_scientists_residents_looking_for_answers/  | access-date = 9 December 2012}}</ref> Efforts at [[biological control]] are underway.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Elkinton |first1=Joseph |last2=Boettner |first2=George |last3=Liebhold |first3=Andrew |last4=Gwiazdowski |first4=Rodger |title=Biology, Spread, and Biological Control of Winter Moth in the Eastern United States |url=https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/FHTET-2014-07_Biology_Control_Winter-Moth.pdf |publisher=USDA Forest Service |access-date=29 December 2018}}</ref><ref name=UMass>[https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/fact-sheets/winter-moth-in-massachusetts-history-biological-control Winter Moth in Massachusetts: History and Biological Control] University of Massachusetts Extension, The Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (2017). Accessed Dec 6, 2017.</ref>