Allergic Reactions Could Be at an All-Time High in Maine This Summer
Buckle in and start hoarding your Benedryl and other allergy meds now, because if the predictions are right, Mainers are in for a runny-nose, itchy-eye, throat-scratchy summer. And it's all because of something about an inch-and-a-half long.
Bangor Daily News is reporting that this could be the worst summer in about 100 years as far as browntail moth activity goes, which could reek havoc on our allergies since according to BDN, the tiny hairs on the caterpillar form are known to cause mild to severe allergic reactions.
Ironically, this isn't the first year that we've heard that we're about to feel infested by browntail moths, since Channel 8 WMTW ran a story last year talking about that last summer was going to be the worst summer we've seen with them in probably ever.
Apparently (and this should create a killer debate), climate change is being blamed for the ridiculous amount of browntail moths we'll be seeing this summer, as according to BDN, spring being super dry mixed with super warm temperatures into late September/early October created prime conditions for browntail moth reproduction.
Whether you realized it or not, we're actually in the middle of an outbreak as it is, which is said to have kicked off back in 2015. According to BDN, an outbreak of browntail moths is considered an outbreak when more than 10,000 acres of defoliation is caused by them, and they've been wreaking havoc on Maine trees since then.
There's also apparently no way to predict exactly when the outbreak will end, either, so maybe we should all just go buy hazmat suits and try to use the giant L.L. Bean store boot to fight back. For comparison, the last outbreak went from 1999 to 2005. So, if history repeats itself and the outbreak lasts only a six-year stretch, maybe this one will wrap it up? Wishful thinking?