Which pest is native to Eurasia and has a wide host range, often preferring hardwoods, and can be controlled with Bt, pheromone traps, barriers around boles, or insecticides?

• A. Gypsy moth
• B. Douglas fir seed chalcid
• C. Cone bug
• D. Fir coneworm

Answer: (A)

This question is about recognizing a Eurasian native pest that defoliates a wide range of hardwoods and for which common controls include a microbial insecticide, pheromone traps, trunk barriers, and insecticides. The gypsy moth fits perfectly: it originates from Europe and Asia, it has a broad host range that includes many hardwoods such as oaks and maples, and management commonly uses Bt kurstaki to kill larvae, pheromone traps to monitor or disrupt mating, barriers around the tree boles to intercept caterpillars as they climb, and conventional insecticides when outbreaks are severe. The other pests are more associated with conifers or have different control practices, so they don’t align with all of these methods as well.