With a few bells and whistles it could have been the script to a cheesy monster flick: killer caterpillars in a feeding frenzy vs. stressed relief workers unable to stop the carnage, but at the last minute Mother Nature rushes to the rescue.

That's what happened, more or less, this spring when the Pennsylvania Game Commission forecast that stands of oaks, conifers, hickories and other species in 25 mid-state and northeastern counties would be attacked by a heavy infestation of gypsy moth caterpillars.

Limited funding for spraying from state agencies and municipalities restricted the state's ability to prevent an infestation of the non-native invasive species.

But just as the caterpillar population was expected to explode beyond the state's ability to contain it, the forests caught a lucky break when caterpillars were hit with a coincidental three-pronged attack by their natural enemies.:

• Entomophaga maimaiga, a non-native fungus that infects gypsy moth caterpillars.

• Lymantria dispar Multienveloped Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus, which appeared in America about the same time as the gypsy moth.

• Bacillus thuringiensis, a biological insecticide sprayed last year on state forestlands by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

"This gypsy moth population collapse will be good for wildlife, good for forests and their managers and good for the folks who utilize forestlands for everything from hunting and trapping, to hiking and birdwatching," said Carl Roe, Game Commission executive director in a prepared statement.

Roe said it would be unwise for wildlife agencies, landowners or the general population to let their guard down.

"Gypsy moths regroup -- they always do -- they are sure to resurface in the state's woodlands some time in the next five to 10 years," he said.

The gypsy moth was brought from Europe to Medford, Mass., in 1869 by Leopold Trouvelot, who was trying to breed the insect for silk production. Some of the caterpillars escaped from his backyard pen, and by the early 1900s they had defoliated large areas of New England. The gypsy moth was first seen in Pennsylvania in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties in 1932, and by 1980 38 counties were infested. It is now found as far west as Minnesota, with populations reaching outbreak levels every 5-10 years.

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Tents are vulnerable to tearing during folding and storage. Wrap metal pins in resealing sandwich bags and store tent pegs separately.