Gypsy Moth Treatment Scheduled for Allamakee and Clayton Counties on June 25
DES MOINES, Iowa (June 15, 2021) – Aerial treatment to control the invasive gypsy moth is scheduled for June 25 in specific areas of Allamakee and Clayton Counties.
Low-flying airplanes will be applying a mating disruption product called SPLAT GM-O. The product does not kill the moth but it disrupts the mating process by using a pheromone to inhibit male gypsy moths from finding female mates. SPLAT GM-O is an organic product and is not harmful to bees, birds, plants, pets or humans.
In Allamakee County, the treatment includes two rural areas around Black Hawk Point and Lansing Wildlife Management Areas totaling 5,018 areas. In Clayton County, the treatment will focus on a 590-acre site including Marquette and the surrounding rural area. Survey data has identified these three areas where gypsy moth populations are starting to grow.
The treatment is being conducted in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, and the national Gypsy Moth “Slow the Spread” program. Iowa is one of many states in the program that monitors and treats isolated populations to slow the gypsy moth’s advancement into uninfested areas.
“Iowa has addressed start-up populations of the gypsy moth using mating disruption since 2011 through participation with the Slow the Spread Program,” said Mike Kintner, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Emerald Ash Borer and Gypsy Moth Coordinator. “Iowa is not listed as a gypsy moth-infested state and we would like to keep it that way as long as possible.”
The gypsy moth feeds on over 300 species of trees and shrubs, with a preference for oaks. During outbreaks, gypsy moth caterpillars are capable of stripping the leaves off of host trees over wide geographic areas and can be a public nuisance during an outbreak. Repeated defoliation can leave a tree vulnerable to diseases or other pest infestations which can lead to tree death.
For more information on the gypsy moth, including maps of the treatment areas, please visit iowagypsymoth.com. Treatment is weather-dependent. Area citizens can visit this website or listen to a pre-recorded update about the treatment date by calling 855-497-7966 or 515-725-1464.