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Destructive moths trapped in Ashland By PAUL FATTIG ASHLAND -- Four destructive gypsy moths have been discovered in traps near Southern Oregon University. Three were found about a quarter mile southeast of the college, and the fourth was found about a quarter mile southwest of SOU, said Kathleen Johnson, supervisor of the state Department of Agriculture plant, pest and disease program. "We will be delivering some fliers to residents in the area, telling them that the moths have been found and a little bit about them," Johnson said, noting that the goal is to track down the source of the moths. Gypsy moths can be a threat to local plant life, from agricultural crops to local forests, she said. "They are a broad-based threat to our state," she said. "They can defoliate hardwoods and riparian areas. Some people are also allergic to their larve." Gypsy moths leave egg masses that hatch into leaf-eating larvae that can leave trees barren and susceptible to disease, she said. Along the East Coast, they've defoliated entire forests. Finding the moths does not constitute an emergency, but does merit concern, officials said. A gypsy moth was found in Ashland several years ago, Johnson noted. The Ashland moths were among 13 trapped by the department last week, Johnson said. One other was found at Steamboat in Douglas County, two were found in Eugene and six turned up in the northwestern part of the state. Last year, 29 gypsy moths were trapped statewide. The area where the moths were found in Ashland will be searched for more evidence of the moths, Johnson said. The department also will ask residents if they know someone who recently moved from the gypsy moth-infested northeastern corner of the nation. In 1995, the agency used insecticides in Jacksonville after seven gypsy moths were found. Those moths were traced to a New England family who had recently moved to Jacksonville. Bug experts theorize the moths laid eggs attached to the underside of the family's car or lawn furniture. The department routinely checks some 19,000 gypsy moth traps placed throughout the state. The traps contain a female sex hormone to attract male moths and a sticky substance to prevent them from leaving. Lane County had a major outbreak in the 1980s, prompting the creation of the detection program. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA