Seattle Press on Line - No Gypsy Moths Found in State

No Gypsy Moths Found in State

Nov 15, 2000 -- No Asian gypsy moths have been found in the entire state since the discovery last May of one gypsy moth and an egg mass in Salmon Bay and subsequent spraying of the area with bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (btk), according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Linda Waring, WSDA public information officer, said 1,000 traps were placed in a 10-mile radius from the initial discovery, including 250 in the Crown Hill area. One European gypsy moth was found in a trap in Crown Hill, but it is the Asian variety of the moth that is most dangerous to timber, crops and urban foliage.

If no Asian gypsy moths are found in two years, the moth will be considered eradicated, Waring said.

Asian gypsy moth caterpillars can damage and kill trees and shrubs by eating leaves and needles. Gypsy moths can spread widely in a region, and infestations can cause extensive environmental and economic damage by destroying forests as well as and residential trees.

The btk pesticide is commonly used by organic gardeners and is approved for use on more than 200 food and grain crops in the United States. It is harmful to moths and butterflies at their caterpillar stage of development. Caterpillars that eat btk sprayed on trees and shrubs stop eating and die within seven to ten days.

A citizen group, No Spray Zone, opposed the spraying and was joined by several state and city elected officials, physicians and businesses in the area. The coalition charged that some scientists had found btk harmful to human health.

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