The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will have an open house on Tuesday, Feb. 23, in Kent about its proposed gypsy moth treatments this spring in the city.
The Kent open house is from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kent Memorial Park building, 850 N. Central Ave.
WSDA staff, including entomologists, will be on hand to answer questions from community members on the agency’s proposal to eliminate introductions of European and Asian gypsy moth detected this past summer.
The proposal calls for aerial treatments of a biological insecticide in areas of Kent as well as Seattle, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Lacey, Nisqually and Vancouver. The open house events in Kent and other cities will include maps of the treatment areas, information about gypsy moths, and material on the product proposed to treat the pests.
Crews would spray about 600 acres in Kent, from roughly South 204th Street north to South 220th Street; and 68th Avenue South west to Frager Road. Two moths were found last year in that area of Kent.
This year residents who can’t attend an open house in their community will have the opportunity to attend a virtual open house, a webinar presentation and an opportunity to submit questions for a panel of experts to answer. Registration for the webinar is available on WSDA’s website and Facebook page.
In 2015, WSDA trapped 32 European gypsy moths, the most the department has trapped since 2006. Additionally, 10 of the even more damaging Asian gypsy moths were trapped. Prior to the 2015 trapping, no Asian gypsy moths had been found in Washington since 1999.
Gypsy moth is a high-risk, invasive threat to Washington’s environment. Gypsy moth has defoliated millions of acres of forest across the Northeast and Midwest. If left unchecked, gypsy moths could devastate Washington’s forests. It has been detected in Washington every year since 1977, but permanent populations have not been established here because of the state’s consistent trapping and eradication projects.
This year WSDA proposes aerial applications of a biological insecticide that is approved for use on organic food crops. The insecticide, Btk or Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, is registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is found naturally in the environment and has an excellent safety record around people, pets, birds, fish, bees and other beneficial insects while being effective for controlling caterpillars.
WSDA is acting in accordance with with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) prior to finalizing the proposal. The treatment plan should be finalized by April.
Visit agr.wa.gov/gypsymoth to register for gypsy moth email alerts and to register for the virtual open house webinar. The public may also contact WSDA with gypsy moth questions at gypsymoth@agr.wa.gov or by calling the toll-free hotline, 1-800-443-6684.
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