- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,007
Missouri gearing up for gypsy moth trapping
MDC
May 2003
Citizens have an important role in fighting this destructive pest.
JEFFERSON CITY--State and federal agencies are gearing up for another season of gypsy moth trapping. They say citizen awareness is critical to efforts to keep the destructive forest pest out of Missouri.
Gypsy moths were introduced into the United States in Massachusetts in 1869. The idea was to cross-breed them with silk moths. The experiment failed, but the gypsy moth succeeded, escaping captivity and making itself at home in American forests. It has been expanding its range slowly to the south and west ever since, causing serious damage along the way.
Gypsy moth populations now exist in much of the Eastern United States and the Upper Midwest. The pest is expected to reach Missouri eventually, but its arrival can be delayed by careful monitoring and eradication of spot infestations.
Each May, officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army officials at Fort Leonard Wood and the Missouri National Guard hang thousands of small, triangular, orange cardboard traps on tree trunks around the state. The traps contain a chemical lure that attracts male gypsy moths and a sticky surface to trap them. The lure is a synthetic version of a pheromone produced by female gypsy moths. The traps are not toxic to humans or pets.
Rob Lawrence, a forest entomologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the traps help foresters to detect gypsy moth infestations before they become serious threats to the state's forests. "It's an early-warning system," he said. "We have traps all over the state. If we found several moths in a particular area, it would alert us to a potential problem. When even one moth is found, we intensify trapping in that area to determine if an actual infestation is present and to pinpoint its location. If an infestation is found, we would then work to eradicate it."
So far, Missouri has been fortunate. A gypsy moth outbreak in Arkansas in the early 1990s was contained by a joint effort of the USDA Forest Service and the Arkansas State Plant Board before it spread to Missouri. In 1995, alert landowners in Dent County spotted a gypsy moth egg mass that was hatching and called in forestry and agriculture officials immediately. Quick action nipped that infestation in the bud.
The number of gypsy moths captured in Missouri has been down the last two years. Only six moths were captured statewide in 2001. In 2002, the catch was just four.
All the 2002 captures occurred in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This probably is because St. Louis is a national travel hub for cars, trucks, travel trailers, trains and boats on which gypsy moths could hitchhike.
Last year was the first since 1991 that no moths were captured in Stone or Taney Counties in southwestern Missouri near the popular recreation areas of Branson and Table Rock Lake.
However, the risk of gypsy moths establishing in Missouri grows as infested areas in nearby states expand. Gypsy moth populations continue to increase in Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois and northern Indiana.
Each gypsy moth caterpillar consumes about nine square feet of leaves before changing to an adult. This appetite, along with the insects= tremendous reproductive capacity, can strip trees of all their leaves in heavily infested areas. Trees usually recover from one year's defoliation, but repeated loss of leaves can kill many trees.
Besides loss of forest resources, gypsy moth infestations damage water quality and tourism. Reduced acorn production also could affect deer, turkey and other wildlife populations.
"This is an enormously destructive pest," said Lawrence. "Oak leaves are one of gypsy moth caterpillars' favorite foods, and Missouri forests are dominated by oak trees, so we are very vulnerable. It's important to keep the state gypsy moth-free for as long as possible."
Missourians can help prevent gypsy moths from gaining a foothold here by taking care not to accidentally bring them home from trips out of state. Gypsy moths lay velvety, tan-colored egg masses during July and August. If you travel to the Eastern United States or the Upper Midwest during this period, check for egg masses on vehicles, campers and other items left outdoors before you return home.
Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly called "Bt," is the primary product used to control gypsy moths. Bt is popular among organic gardeners as an environmentally safe way to control moth pests. The product contains a protein produced by native bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis. The protein is toxic to immature stages of butterflies and moths, which swallow the protein while eating. The bacterial protein has no effect on other insects, plants or animals.
Another major control used against gypsy moths uses the insects' own pheromones to disrupt their mating. Tiny flakes carrying the pheromone are broadcast over infested forests by aircraft. The flakes emit a cloud of pheromone, which is undetectable and harmless to humans. With this much pheromone present, male gypsy moths can't find individual pheromone trails emitted by females, stopping them from mating. This technique is being used in more than half of the acres being treated along the advancing gypsy moth front from Wisconsin to Virginia.
If you have questions or concerns about gypsy moth traps, call 573/751-5505 or 573/882-9880 or E-mail Michael_Brown@mail.mda.state.mo.us or foresthealth@mdc.state.mo.us.
- Jim Low -
MDC
May 2003
Citizens have an important role in fighting this destructive pest.
JEFFERSON CITY--State and federal agencies are gearing up for another season of gypsy moth trapping. They say citizen awareness is critical to efforts to keep the destructive forest pest out of Missouri.
Gypsy moths were introduced into the United States in Massachusetts in 1869. The idea was to cross-breed them with silk moths. The experiment failed, but the gypsy moth succeeded, escaping captivity and making itself at home in American forests. It has been expanding its range slowly to the south and west ever since, causing serious damage along the way.
Gypsy moth populations now exist in much of the Eastern United States and the Upper Midwest. The pest is expected to reach Missouri eventually, but its arrival can be delayed by careful monitoring and eradication of spot infestations.
Each May, officials with the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army officials at Fort Leonard Wood and the Missouri National Guard hang thousands of small, triangular, orange cardboard traps on tree trunks around the state. The traps contain a chemical lure that attracts male gypsy moths and a sticky surface to trap them. The lure is a synthetic version of a pheromone produced by female gypsy moths. The traps are not toxic to humans or pets.
Rob Lawrence, a forest entomologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation, said the traps help foresters to detect gypsy moth infestations before they become serious threats to the state's forests. "It's an early-warning system," he said. "We have traps all over the state. If we found several moths in a particular area, it would alert us to a potential problem. When even one moth is found, we intensify trapping in that area to determine if an actual infestation is present and to pinpoint its location. If an infestation is found, we would then work to eradicate it."
So far, Missouri has been fortunate. A gypsy moth outbreak in Arkansas in the early 1990s was contained by a joint effort of the USDA Forest Service and the Arkansas State Plant Board before it spread to Missouri. In 1995, alert landowners in Dent County spotted a gypsy moth egg mass that was hatching and called in forestry and agriculture officials immediately. Quick action nipped that infestation in the bud.
The number of gypsy moths captured in Missouri has been down the last two years. Only six moths were captured statewide in 2001. In 2002, the catch was just four.
All the 2002 captures occurred in the St. Louis metropolitan area. This probably is because St. Louis is a national travel hub for cars, trucks, travel trailers, trains and boats on which gypsy moths could hitchhike.
Last year was the first since 1991 that no moths were captured in Stone or Taney Counties in southwestern Missouri near the popular recreation areas of Branson and Table Rock Lake.
However, the risk of gypsy moths establishing in Missouri grows as infested areas in nearby states expand. Gypsy moth populations continue to increase in Wisconsin, northeastern Illinois and northern Indiana.
Each gypsy moth caterpillar consumes about nine square feet of leaves before changing to an adult. This appetite, along with the insects= tremendous reproductive capacity, can strip trees of all their leaves in heavily infested areas. Trees usually recover from one year's defoliation, but repeated loss of leaves can kill many trees.
Besides loss of forest resources, gypsy moth infestations damage water quality and tourism. Reduced acorn production also could affect deer, turkey and other wildlife populations.
"This is an enormously destructive pest," said Lawrence. "Oak leaves are one of gypsy moth caterpillars' favorite foods, and Missouri forests are dominated by oak trees, so we are very vulnerable. It's important to keep the state gypsy moth-free for as long as possible."
Missourians can help prevent gypsy moths from gaining a foothold here by taking care not to accidentally bring them home from trips out of state. Gypsy moths lay velvety, tan-colored egg masses during July and August. If you travel to the Eastern United States or the Upper Midwest during this period, check for egg masses on vehicles, campers and other items left outdoors before you return home.
Bacillus thuringiensis, commonly called "Bt," is the primary product used to control gypsy moths. Bt is popular among organic gardeners as an environmentally safe way to control moth pests. The product contains a protein produced by native bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis. The protein is toxic to immature stages of butterflies and moths, which swallow the protein while eating. The bacterial protein has no effect on other insects, plants or animals.
Another major control used against gypsy moths uses the insects' own pheromones to disrupt their mating. Tiny flakes carrying the pheromone are broadcast over infested forests by aircraft. The flakes emit a cloud of pheromone, which is undetectable and harmless to humans. With this much pheromone present, male gypsy moths can't find individual pheromone trails emitted by females, stopping them from mating. This technique is being used in more than half of the acres being treated along the advancing gypsy moth front from Wisconsin to Virginia.
If you have questions or concerns about gypsy moth traps, call 573/751-5505 or 573/882-9880 or E-mail Michael_Brown@mail.mda.state.mo.us or foresthealth@mdc.state.mo.us.
- Jim Low -
