Gypsy Moth infestation

[Lee Borgersen]

Gypsy Moth infestation will be morning target by low aircraft

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Appearing before the Ely City Council Tuesday was Kimberly Thielen Cremers, supervisor of the pest mitigation and biocontrol unit of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
Cremers spoke to the council on the invasive species of insect known as the gypsy moth. A reported artificially-established, reproducing population of this pest within an area of approximately 565 acres in the city of Ely, has prompted the Minnesota DNR to propose a plan of eradication.
According to Cremers the gypsy moth is a non-native species introduced to the United States in 1869, in Massachusetts, in an ill-advised attempt to establish a home-grown silk industry.

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Today the gypsy moth is the most destructive invasive insect in the United States. In contrast to the army worm, which is a native moth, the gypsy has no natural enemies in this country.
The gypsy moth infestation has been slowly spreading westward from the east coast since its introduction.
At this time the infestation has reached only Lake and Cook Counties in Minnesota, and from there south to western Wisconsin. A significant vector in the westward march has been the artificial (or human-assisted) spread of the gypsy moth population from infested to non-infested areas.
Quarantines have been put in place which makes it illegal to transport potentially infested items such as logs, firewood, nursery stock, campers, and picnic tables from the quarantined area to a non-quarantined area without first taking appropriate measures. Self-inspection of items that could be harboring the gypsy moth is required prior to moving items to non-quarantined areas.

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There are four life stages for the gypsy moth. The first is the egg, which is laid in numbers of 500 to 1,000 in a fuzzy, buff-colored mass about the size of a quarter, which is attached to any available surface. The second is the larva or caterpillar stage. This is the only damaging stage as they are voracious feeders.
The caterpillars grow to two inches in length and have five pairs of blue spots and six pairs of red spots along their backs. The third stage is the cocoon stage. They attach themselves to vertical surfaces with strands of silk. The fourth stage is the adult or winged moth. They do not feed. Their sole purpose is to mate.

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The damage from the gypsy moth is defoliation of trees which weakens the trees making them susceptible to disease and other insects, and destroys habitat for mammals and birds. The preferred hosts are oaks, willows, aspens, and birch. Average annual defoliation by gypsy moths from 2006 to 2010 was 1.2 million acres each year.
In addition to defoliation, the hairs on the caterpillars can cause allergic reactions in humans.

According to Cremers, multiple life stages of the pest were found in Ely in 2015. There is a reproducing population within the city, but a positive outcome to a proposed eradication program is likely.
The proposed treatment is BTK, a natural bacterial control. It will kill only caterpillars and fully half of the bacteria will die off within the first four hours of application. All trace of the bacteria will be gone within seven to ten days.
BTK is safe for humans and pets. Rarely, people with severe food allergies may have a temporary reaction to BTK. The treatments will be conducted in June, only in the early mornings. There will be two treatments, 7 to 10 days apart.

The application method is either by airplane or helicopter flying about 50 feet above the treetops. The residue from the treatment is barely detectable. The early morning hours allow most residents to stay indoors during the application, if they so choose.
There will be numerous notifications to residents of the times of application. There will be bulletins mailed to affected residents, legal notices in the newspaper, a “hotline” telephone number will be available to answer questions.
An open house will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 22, at Ely City Hall in the council chambers to address citizen concerns and provide further information.

Finally, after the spraying treatments are completed, traps will be set and the area will be surveyed for at least two years to assess the results of the treatment.