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Spraying didn�t deter the moths ASHLAND � Three gypsy moths apparently have been found not far from an area sprayed for the voracious pest in May. The three were found in traps placed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Although the insects have been tentatively identified as gypsy moths, they will be studied in a laboratory to confirm their identification, said department spokesman Bruce Pokarney. "We found them right outside the area that was sprayed in the spring � literally right across the street," he said. After four moths were found near Southern Oregon University last fall, the department sprayed a 10-acre site with a biological insecticide. Gypsy moths can be a threat to local plant life, from agricultural crops to local forests. The department routinely checks for gypsy moth infestations. Some 17,000 traps were set out this year. The effort to detect gypsy moths will continue into next month, Pokarney said. After the detection program is completed, a decision will be made on how to eliminate the moths in areas where they have been found, he added. "Eradication usually takes place in the spring," he said. "The caterpillar causes the damage. When we spray, the caterpillar ingests it and that takes care of them." The annual detection program was created in the 1980s when up to 225,000 acres in Lane County were infested with an estimated 19,000 gypsy moths. That area was sprayed with insecticides. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA