5-18-2004 |
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4,400 ACRES TREATED FOR GYPSY MOTH According to Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass, a total of 4,400 acres of forested and forested residential land in southeastern West Virginia has been treated with the insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) in order to control low-level gypsy moth populations as part of the Slow The Spread (STS) Program. Operations were conducted from the Raleigh County Memorial Airport using fixed-winged aircraft to aerially apply the insecticide. The four treatment blocks, one each in Mercer and Summers Counties and two in Raleigh County, were each treated twice. The first application occurred on May 10 and the second on May 14. The STS Program is an attempt to reduce the spread rate of gypsy moth on a national level. Nine states, from North Carolina through Minnesota, currently participate in the program. A variety of techniques are used to manage isolated gypsy moth populations in the transition zone between the generally infested area and the area where no detectible gypsy moth populations can be found. Under the STS Program, a fifth block, that is 10,000 acres in size and covers part of both Raleigh and Summers Counties, will be treated with pheromone flakes that work to disrupt gypsy moth mating. The tiny flakes (1/32"X3/32") will be aerially applied by agricultural spray planes. This operation will be conducted around June 23. For more information on the STS Treatment Program, contact Dr.
Charles C. Coffman, Director, or S. Clark Haynes, Assistant Director,
WVDA Plant Industries Division, at 304-558-2212 or Butch Sayers,
Gypsy Moth Program Manager, at 304-788-1066. Contact: Buddy Davidson The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org. |
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