PA Farm News
April 26, 2008
Spraying
to Begin
to
Combat
Damage
Done by
Gypsy
Moths
HARRISBURG -- Bracing for a spring that could be marked by increased gypsy moth infestations and heavy defoliation in some areas of the state, the state Bureau of Forestry announced plans today to triple its aerial spraying effort to suppress the woodland insect pest.
After a virtual collapse of gypsy moth populations in recent years across most of Pennsylvania, insect numbers have increased to the point where spraying will be necessary on 221,831 acres in 27 counties, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said.
“As we anticipate more gypsy moths, it’s very important to remember spraying is designed to protect trees in forested landscapes from moderate to severe defoliation,” DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis said. “We can’t eradicate an insect that’s well established in Pennsylvania and is here to stay.”
A total of 64,900 acres of private, state and federal woodlands were sprayed in 19 counties in spring 2007; gypsy moth caterpillars defoliated 681,000 acres.
This year, 21 counties enrolled 95,305 private acres in the program; up from the 11 counties that requested 35,900 acres be sprayed in 2007.
“In this voluntary program, counties and cooperating agencies share the costs of private land treatment,” DiBerardinis said. “This acreage, as well as state lands to be sprayed, is concentrated in the northeast and north- and south-central regions of the state where there have been three consecutive years of oak defoliation by gypsy moth larvae.
“These state lands are selected based on the number and concentration of gypsy moth egg masses, previous defoliation, and ecological, historic, or economic significance.”
Nine helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft will begin the spray program in early May and end shortly after Memorial Day. Spraying is dependent on weather, foliage development and caterpillar development; progress can be tracked at www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/spray.aspx.
Homeowners and other private property owners can learn more about the gypsy moth, the damage it causes, and small-scale efforts to combat it by visiting a “Frequently Asked Questions” section and other information posted on www.dcnr.state.pa.us (click on “Forestry,” then “Gypsy Moth” under Hot Topics).
“Thanks largely to the gypsy moth’s natural enemy — Entomophaga maimaiga — moth numbers had been way down for several years in most areas of the state, and spraying was not necessary,” said State Forester Daniel Devlin. “Spraying helps contain the widespread gypsy moth damage we have seen in the past, but the major controlling factor is, and will continue to be, the prevalence of this fungus in our woodlands.”
Counties enrolled in 2008 and private acres to be sprayed are: Adams, 370; Bedford, 1,196; Berks, 862; Blair, 582; Centre, 13,371; Chester, 200; Clearfield, 300; Cumberland, 14,443; Dauphin, 11,366; Franklin, 5,115; Fulton, 4,582; Lackawanna, 507; Lebanon, 7,991; Luzerne, 7,761; Mifflin, 435; Monroe, 1,666; Perry, 4,308; Pike, 11,236; Snyder, 1,178; Union, 1,186; and York, 6,650.
In addition, state parks and forestlands, state game lands and other woodlands will be sprayed in Carbon, Clinton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Juniata and Somerset counties.
Gypsy moth populations dropped sharply between 2000 and 2006, when 700,000 acres of woodlands were defoliated as DCNR treated 82,000 acres in eight counties.
Following a 76-percent reduction in defoliation during spring 2002, DCNR opted not to conduct aerial spraying in 2003, 2004 and 2005, when gypsy moth populations sharply declined due to Entomophaga maimaiga.
All areas will be treated this year with the biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), comprised of naturally occurring Bacillus spores. No chemical insecticides are used.
Gypsy moths are one of the most destructive forest pests in Pennsylvania. Feeding while in the larval — or caterpillar — stage, the insect 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, sugar maple, beech and aspen trees are affected the most by the forest pest.
When populations peak, the insects may strip trees of foliage, leaving them weakened and susceptible to disease, drought, and attack by other insects. A tree begins to suffer when 30 percent or more of its leaf surface is lost.
Forest insect spray programs are a cooperative effort among DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry, county and municipal governments, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Forest Health Protection Unit.
The gypsy moth was introduced to North America in 1869 at Medford, Mass., where it was used in a silk-production experiment. The gypsy moth first reached Pennsylvania in Luzerne County in 1932, and since then has infested every county.
HARRISBURG -- Bracing for a spring that could be marked by increased gypsy moth infestations and heavy defoliation in some areas of the state, the state Bureau of Forestry announced plans today to triple its aerial spraying effort to suppress the woodland insect pest.
After a virtual collapse of gypsy moth populations in recent years across most of Pennsylvania, insect numbers have increased to the point where spraying will be necessary on 221,831 acres in 27 counties, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said.
“As we anticipate more gypsy moths, it’s very important to remember spraying is designed to protect trees in forested landscapes from moderate to severe defoliation,” DCNR Secretary Michael DiBerardinis said. “We can’t eradicate an insect that’s well established in Pennsylvania and is here to stay.”
A total of 64,900 acres of private, state and federal woodlands were sprayed in 19 counties in spring 2007; gypsy moth caterpillars defoliated 681,000 acres.
This year, 21 counties enrolled 95,305 private acres in the program; up from the 11 counties that requested 35,900 acres be sprayed in 2007.
“In this voluntary program, counties and cooperating agencies share the costs of private land treatment,” DiBerardinis said. “This acreage, as well as state lands to be sprayed, is concentrated in the northeast and north- and south-central regions of the state where there have been three consecutive years of oak defoliation by gypsy moth larvae.
“These state lands are selected based on the number and concentration of gypsy moth egg masses, previous defoliation, and ecological, historic, or economic significance.”
Nine helicopters and five fixed-wing aircraft will begin the spray program in early May and end shortly after Memorial Day. Spraying is dependent on weather, foliage development and caterpillar development; progress can be tracked at www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/spray.aspx.
Homeowners and other private property owners can learn more about the gypsy moth, the damage it causes, and small-scale efforts to combat it by visiting a “Frequently Asked Questions” section and other information posted on www.dcnr.state.pa.us (click on “Forestry,” then “Gypsy Moth” under Hot Topics).
“Thanks largely to the gypsy moth’s natural enemy — Entomophaga maimaiga — moth numbers had been way down for several years in most areas of the state, and spraying was not necessary,” said State Forester Daniel Devlin. “Spraying helps contain the widespread gypsy moth damage we have seen in the past, but the major controlling factor is, and will continue to be, the prevalence of this fungus in our woodlands.”
Counties enrolled in 2008 and private acres to be sprayed are: Adams, 370; Bedford, 1,196; Berks, 862; Blair, 582; Centre, 13,371; Chester, 200; Clearfield, 300; Cumberland, 14,443; Dauphin, 11,366; Franklin, 5,115; Fulton, 4,582; Lackawanna, 507; Lebanon, 7,991; Luzerne, 7,761; Mifflin, 435; Monroe, 1,666; Perry, 4,308; Pike, 11,236; Snyder, 1,178; Union, 1,186; and York, 6,650.
In addition, state parks and forestlands, state game lands and other woodlands will be sprayed in Carbon, Clinton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Juniata and Somerset counties.
Gypsy moth populations dropped sharply between 2000 and 2006, when 700,000 acres of woodlands were defoliated as DCNR treated 82,000 acres in eight counties.
Following a 76-percent reduction in defoliation during spring 2002, DCNR opted not to conduct aerial spraying in 2003, 2004 and 2005, when gypsy moth populations sharply declined due to Entomophaga maimaiga.
All areas will be treated this year with the biological insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), comprised of naturally occurring Bacillus spores. No chemical insecticides are used.
Gypsy moths are one of the most destructive forest pests in Pennsylvania. Feeding while in the larval — or caterpillar — stage, the insect 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, sugar maple, beech and aspen trees are affected the most by the forest pest.
When populations peak, the insects may strip trees of foliage, leaving them weakened and susceptible to disease, drought, and attack by other insects. A tree begins to suffer when 30 percent or more of its leaf surface is lost.
Forest insect spray programs are a cooperative effort among DCNR’s Bureau of Forestry, county and municipal governments, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s Forest Health Protection Unit.
The gypsy moth was introduced to North America in 1869 at Medford, Mass., where it was used in a silk-production experiment. The gypsy moth first reached Pennsylvania in Luzerne County in 1932, and since then has infested every county.
POSTED 080426_1100 ET
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