The Minnesota Department of Agriculture recently conducted spraying treatments of over 1000 acres in St. Louis County to control the invasive gypsy moth.
Head of the Minnesota gypsy moth program, Kimberly Thielen Cremers shares the goals of the program and responds to concerns of impacts to other species impacted like Monarch butterflies.
The bacteria based treatments affect caterpillars at a specific growth stage, when they are feeding and although it can affect native species too, Cremers says these species bounce back. She also shares the devastating effects of the gypsy moth and the importance of slowing its establishment in Minnesota.
Success of the program continues to be evaluated. In this time following treatment, expect to see moth traps, used to measure numbers and effectiveness of treatment efforts. These sprayed areas are often only treated once or are revisited in a few years.
