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State might spray in Ashland for gypsy moths By Paul Fattig ASHLAND � The Oregon Department of Agriculture proposes to spray a biological insecticide on 160 acres in Ashland this spring to halt a possible infestation of European gypsy moths. The action is being considered after six of the moths were trapped in Ashland last summer, said department spokesman Bruce Pokarney. The moths leave egg masses that hatch into leaf-eating larvae that can leave trees barren and susceptible to disease, he said. The proposed spray area is south of Southern Oregon University between Glenwood Drive and Indiana Street. About 230 residential properties and forested areas would be affected. The department has mailed information about the proposed spraying program to people living and working in the area to be sprayed. A meeting to discuss the proposal will be held Tuesday from 7-9 p.m. in the Rogue River Room of the Stevenson Union Building at Southern Oregon University. The department sprayed a 10-acre residential area in Ashland early last spring after four gypsy moths were discovered near SOU the previous summer. "Where we propose to spray is right on the edge of the area we treated last spring," Pokarney said. "It appears we didn�t get all of them." The spray � Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki (Btk) � is a bacteria that affects only gypsy moth caterpillers, he said. If approved, the aerial spraying by helicopter would occur between late April and mid-May when the caterpillar is present, he said. Three applications would be needed, he added. Last spring�s spraying was done by crews on the ground. "It�s very targeted to caterpillers," he said of the insecticide. "The bacteria gets on the foliage and is eaten by the caterpillers." A final decision on the proposal to spray this spring will be made by the department director in the next few weeks, Pokarney said. Each May, the department sets out some 17,000 traps throughout Oregon to check on whether gypsy moths are present. The traps contain a female sex hormone to attract male moths and a sticky substance to hold them. The detection program was created in the 1980s when more than 200,000 acres in Lane County were infested with an estimated 19,000 gypsy moths. The area was sprayed with the same insecticide being used in Ashland, Pokarney said. "It could be off to the races if we let it alone for a couple of years," Pokarney said of a potential gypsy moth infestation. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.