The weather is warm, pools are open and many people are ready to spend time outdoors.

One problem standing in the way of fun in the sun for some Carbon County residents is an influx of gypsy moth caterpillars.They seem to come and go as the temperature rises and drops, but East Penn Township resident Carolyn Bierman said the current population caught her attention."We were talking about it at work and I really think it's the most gypsy moths I have seen in 30 years," Bierman said. "I lived in Palmerton at that time and it was so bad at one point that you couldn't even go outside. We're not there yet, but they can be an inconvenience when they're crawling all over everything."Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said a 26,433-acre suppression program in 38 treatment blocks is proposed for 2015 in Carbon, Columbia, Luzerne, Northumberland, Pike and Schuylkill counties.In Carbon County spraying is planned for 774 acres, including 610 acres that encompass Mauch Chunk Lake Park property.The remaining land is privately owned by various county residents in Jim Thorpe, Summit Hill, Mahoning, and Penn Forest townships.The total cost of the spraying is $20,124. Of that amount, county residents will share the cost of $4,264.Don't expect the spraying to completely eliminate gypsy moths."The gypsy moth will continue its cyclic population with ups and downs, and we can't eradicate the insect," said Dr. Donald Eggen, DCNR forest health manager. "It's too well-established and is here to stay."Bierman said she's tried her own methods to get rid of the gypsy moths."I made my own Ortho mix and sprayed that in the front of the house, but we still have them," she said. "Other times, I'll take a broom and just sweep them off the siding."East Penn Township was a literal hotbed for the wildfire which spread through more than 800 acres of the Blue Mountain in Carbon and Lehigh counties in April.Residents wondered if that added to the gypsy moth population, but in fact the reverse is true."The fire, if anything, would have reduced the gypsy moth population in the area that was burned because the caterpillars or egg masses there would have burned and died," Eggen said."The fire did not increase the population. Gypsy moth overwinters in an egg mass that is laid in June/July and hatches the next spring."Lori Reid, of Mahoning Township, has also noticed more gypsy moths than usual."They are bad here," she said. "My driveway is covered with bits of leaves they have been eating."Similarly, Angela Jolly said they are everywhere just outside of Bowmanstown.Other areas in Carbon County seem to have been spared."I haven't seen any yet," said Warren Searfoss, who lives near Beltzville.Forestry bureau experts identify the gypsy moth as one of the most destructive forest pests in Pennsylvania. Feeding while in the larval or caterpillar stage, the insect usually hatches and begins feeding from mid- to late April in southern Pennsylvania, and in early to mid-May in the northern part of the state.Oak, apple, sweet gum, basswood, birch, aspen, and willow trees are affected the most by the gypsy moth. Older larvae also will feed on hemlock, pines, spruces, northern white cedar, and other conifers.A tree begins to significantly suffer when 30 percent or more of its leaf surface is lost.The population, Bierman said, seems to come and go with the weather."The last hot spell we had is when you really started to notice them," she said. Then it got cool and they went away, but they're back again."Gypsy moth defoliation in 2014 totaled 214,972 acres, according to DCNR.Before spring 2013, DCNR last sprayed for gypsy moths in 2009, when more than 178,380 acres in 25 counties were targeted across the state.In 2008 a total of 221,221 acres of private, state and federal woodlands were sprayed in 27 counties.The gypsy moth was introduced to North America in 1869 at Medford, Massachusetts, where it was used in a silk-production experiment. It first reached Pennsylvania in Luzerne County in 1932, and since then has infested every county."Gypsy moth populations have been on the increase in the Carbon County area for the past two years," Eggen said."The warm dry spring has helped the gypsy moth populations because the fungus disease is limited, as cool wet springs help the fungus."