Gypsy Moth Treatment Proposed for Celo in June
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) has proposed gypsy moth treatments for the South Toe River Valley in June, including areas in Celo and near Mount Mitchell. The treatments would be administered through a manufactured pheromone spray released via aircraft, with the purpose of disrupting the moths’ mating rituals. Gypsy moth caterpillars can cause significant damage to forests if their numbers grow beyond sustainable populations. The caterpillars are voracious eaters; their appetites extend to more than 300 species of tree and shrub. Once defoliated, these trees and shrubs are left vulnerable to diseases and other kinds of pests that eventually kill them.
In 2019, the NCDA&CS caught a total of eight male gypsy moths in Celo. By 2020, the number had increased to 28, which, according to the department website, suggests that a reproducing population is present in the area. Mating disruption methods utilize a chemical compound of female gypsy moth sex pheromone. If an area is saturated with female sex pheromone, the males are unable to follow the natural scent trails released by the females to mate, and the population declines.
In order for mating disruption to be successful, manufactured pheromone must be released at just the right time and within just the right population density--right before the male moths emerge from pupation and numbers rise too high. If the population is too high before mating disruption occurs, the male moths will still be able to find mates by sheer happenstance, rendering the attempt futile.
Gypsy moths are an invasive species to North America. Originally from Eurasia, they were intentionally introduced to the continent in the 1860’s, when several entrepreneurs sought to develop a silk industry in the United States. The Civil War disrupted the availability of cotton, an industry dependent on the labor of enslaved people. Simultaneously, traditional silk moths were hit by widespread disease. There was a great need to breed a new species of moth that might work as a source of fiber, and wealthy men hoped to capitalize on this need for personal profit.
A shipment of six potential silk moth candidates were shipped to a young moth enthusiast named Etienne L. Trouvelot, from a colleague in Europe. Whether on purpose or by accident, this shipment also contained gypsy moth eggs. Trouvelot took to rearing gypsy moths in his backyard, and some of the moths managed to escape. The rest, as they say, is history.
Since then, the moths have become a prolific nuisance, resulting in legendary decimation of forests, disruption of communities, and equally disastrous, failed attempts at eradicating them. Most notably, following World War II it was common practice to spray DDT to control the moths. This substance (which is classified as an insecticide), has since been found to be “moderately toxic,” and has adverse effects on the health of animals, including humans. When the use of DDT came to a halt, there were such enormous outbreaks of gypsy moths in the 1970s and 1980s in Connecticut, entire forests were stripped bare and caterpillars covered houses, roads, and sidewalks. Gypsy moths (and the pests that thrive in their wake) have destroyed 75 million acres of forest since 1970.
Today, gypsy moth treatments usually entail the use of three different materials: Disrupt II, SPLAT-GM, and SPLAT-GMO. In North Carolina, SPLAT-GMO is administered to disrupt mating patterns, and Foray 48B Btk is administered for larvicide. According to the NCDA&CS website, SPLAT-GMO is “a biodegradable amorphous polymer matrix formulation that releases the pheromone over a period of 11 weeks. It is a 13% active ingredient by weight; the remaining ingredients consist of waxes, water, emulsifiers, oils, and preservatives.” North Carolina utilizes organic variations of each of these substances.
The NCDA&CS maintains that this practice does not affect other species, and is completely safe for humans, plants, and other animals. Because the SPLAT spray is a synthetic pheromone and the Foray 48B is a naturally occurring bacteria, these are EPA Food Grade biodegradable materials. The forest canopy will absorb most of the product. However, many local residents are concerned, and it’s easy to see why. The legacy of using harmful insecticides to eradicate the moths, coupled with a list of ingredients that requires an advanced degree in chemistry to understand, makes many residents apprehensive about potentially unknown effects.
During treatments, residents can expect to see low flying aircrafts over forested lands in a 2,285-acre treatment block in Celo. Residents can sign up for treatment notifications and to make public comments, ask questions, or express concern on the NCDA&CS website.
In 2019, the NCDA&CS caught a total of eight male gypsy moths in Celo. By 2020, the number had increased to 28, which, according to the department website, suggests that a reproducing population is present in the area. Mating disruption methods utilize a chemical compound of female gypsy moth sex pheromone. If an area is saturated with female sex pheromone, the males are unable to follow the natural scent trails released by the females to mate, and the population declines.
Image source: https://images.app.goo.gl/Mt1G7BHA581wbMBw6
In order for mating disruption to be successful, manufactured pheromone must be released at just the right time and within just the right population density--right before the male moths emerge from pupation and numbers rise too high. If the population is too high before mating disruption occurs, the male moths will still be able to find mates by sheer happenstance, rendering the attempt futile.
Gypsy moths are an invasive species to North America. Originally from Eurasia, they were intentionally introduced to the continent in the 1860’s, when several entrepreneurs sought to develop a silk industry in the United States. The Civil War disrupted the availability of cotton, an industry dependent on the labor of enslaved people. Simultaneously, traditional silk moths were hit by widespread disease. There was a great need to breed a new species of moth that might work as a source of fiber, and wealthy men hoped to capitalize on this need for personal profit.
A shipment of six potential silk moth candidates were shipped to a young moth enthusiast named Etienne L. Trouvelot, from a colleague in Europe. Whether on purpose or by accident, this shipment also contained gypsy moth eggs. Trouvelot took to rearing gypsy moths in his backyard, and some of the moths managed to escape. The rest, as they say, is history.
Image source: https://images.app.goo.gl/moYcZ5qPhMRS68pp6
Since then, the moths have become a prolific nuisance, resulting in legendary decimation of forests, disruption of communities, and equally disastrous, failed attempts at eradicating them. Most notably, following World War II it was common practice to spray DDT to control the moths. This substance (which is classified as an insecticide), has since been found to be “moderately toxic,” and has adverse effects on the health of animals, including humans. When the use of DDT came to a halt, there were such enormous outbreaks of gypsy moths in the 1970s and 1980s in Connecticut, entire forests were stripped bare and caterpillars covered houses, roads, and sidewalks. Gypsy moths (and the pests that thrive in their wake) have destroyed 75 million acres of forest since 1970.
Today, gypsy moth treatments usually entail the use of three different materials: Disrupt II, SPLAT-GM, and SPLAT-GMO. In North Carolina, SPLAT-GMO is administered to disrupt mating patterns, and Foray 48B Btk is administered for larvicide. According to the NCDA&CS website, SPLAT-GMO is “a biodegradable amorphous polymer matrix formulation that releases the pheromone over a period of 11 weeks. It is a 13% active ingredient by weight; the remaining ingredients consist of waxes, water, emulsifiers, oils, and preservatives.” North Carolina utilizes organic variations of each of these substances.
The NCDA&CS maintains that this practice does not affect other species, and is completely safe for humans, plants, and other animals. Because the SPLAT spray is a synthetic pheromone and the Foray 48B is a naturally occurring bacteria, these are EPA Food Grade biodegradable materials. The forest canopy will absorb most of the product. However, many local residents are concerned, and it’s easy to see why. The legacy of using harmful insecticides to eradicate the moths, coupled with a list of ingredients that requires an advanced degree in chemistry to understand, makes many residents apprehensive about potentially unknown effects.
During treatments, residents can expect to see low flying aircrafts over forested lands in a 2,285-acre treatment block in Celo. Residents can sign up for treatment notifications and to make public comments, ask questions, or express concern on the NCDA&CS website.
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