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News Release
11-9-09
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE CONDUCTING PUBLIC MEETINGS ON GYPSY MOTH ‘SLOW-THE-SPREAD’ PROGRAM
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) will conduct two public meetings on proposed treatment of more than 80,000 acres in southern West Virginia with low-level gypsy moth infestations through the “Slow-the-Spread” program, a cooperative effort of WVDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (USDA-FS), WVU Extension Service and landowners.
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass said property will be treated at no cost to the landowners. The project is expected to begin around June 20, 2010, and should be completed within seven days, depending on weather conditions.
The proposed treatment will consist of mating disruption products applied by aircraft. The products mimic female gypsy moth pheromones, making it difficult for males to locate female moths to mate with. The products are specific to gypsy moths, affect no other insects and are not harmful to humans or other animals.
The first meeting will be held at Oceana City Hall November 19, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. on a proposal to treat 27,377 acres in the Kopperston vicinity of Wyoming and Raleigh Counties.
The second meeting will be held at the Danville Community Center December 1, 2009, from 7-9 p.m. on a proposal to treat 55,645 acres in Logan and Boone Counties. The areas proposed for treatment include 2,403 acres near Madison, 426 acres near Sylvester and 35,383 acres in the western portions of both Logan and Boone Counties.
“The STS Program began in 1993 as a pilot project. Since then, we have demonstrated this as an efficient, low-cost method for slowing the rate of population spread by the gypsy moth,” said Commissioner Douglass.
The gypsy moth is the most serious forest pest in West Virginia, defoliating tens of thousands of acres each year. It feeds on more than 500 species of trees and shrubs, including West Virginia’s valuable hardwoods. Last year, aerial surveys detected nearly 45,000 acres of defoliation in West Virginia.
Originally introduced into Massachusetts in 1869, the gypsy moth has slowly spread north to Maine and south to North Carolina. Moths were first documented in West Virginia in 1972, and the first caterpillars were found in 1978. Despite control efforts, the infestation continues to move south and west.
Much of the gypsy moth migration has occurred naturally, but man has sped the spread of this pest, unwittingly transporting gypsy moth egg masses or caterpillars on loads of firewood, RVs, campers, and other vehicles. WVDA officials caution against the transport of firewood into or out of the state because pests such as the gypsy moth, hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, and other non-native invasive insects may be in or on the wood. The Department also urges owners of RVs and campers to thoroughly inspect and wash their vehicles before moving them.
For more information on the Gypsy Moth STS Treatment Program, contact S. Clark Haynes, Assistant Director of WVDA’s Plant Industries Division, or Timothy L. Brown, Regional Supervisor in Charleston at 304-558-2212.
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.
“The Basis of All Wealth is Agriculture.”
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