An upside to the cold? Minn. gypsy moth population down

At least something good came out of the bitter cold of last winter: Minnesota's gypsy moth population is down.

• June: Gypsy moth battle opens in Duluth

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says its traps captured around 500 gypsy moths around the state this year. That's a major drop from last year's trap count of over 71,000 of the destructive forest pests.

• Department of Agriculture: Gypsy moth information

Brian Aukema of the forest insect laboratory at the University of Minnesota says the decrease in moths is good news, but the pests will bounce back quickly. He says a single surviving egg mass will produce more than 500 hungry caterpillars.

Gypsy moth caterpillars, which are not native to North America, eat the leaves of many trees and shrubs. Severe, repeated infestations can kill trees, especially when they're already stressed by drought or other factors.