ORONO, Maine—The Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine will host a talk, “The Menacing Moth of Maine: Understanding Browntail Moth and Their Outbreaks”, on Monday, April 1 at 3 p.m.

Since 2015, the browntail moth outbreak in Maine has left residents and visitors alike itching for a solution, said a news release. Despite its presence in Maine for over a century, various changes, including shifts in climate, policies and management practices, have rendered this outbreak uniquely challenging.

Join UMaine’s Angela Mech to learn about the history and ecology of this tree pest, and the research being conducted to help find a solution for this irritating insect.

Angela Mech is an assistant professor of forest entomology in the School of Biology and Ecology at the University of Maine. She has spent over a decade researching ways to keep our trees and forests healthy. Since her arrival to Maine in 2020, she has focused the bulk of her research program on ways to monitor and manage browntail moth.

All talks in the Mitchell Center’s Sustainability Talks series are free and are offered remotely via Zoom and in person at 107 Norman Smith Hall on the UMaine campus in Orono.

Registration is required to attend remotely; to register and receive connection information, see the event webpage.

To request a reasonable accommodation, contact Ruth Hallsworth, 207.581.3196 or hallsworth@maine.edu.