|
|
|
|
News
|
|
|
|
Oregon enjoys lowest gypsy moth count on record
|
|
|
11/3/2010
|
|
Article Content Suggested lead
The 2010 gypsy moth trapping season in Oregon is now over, and the results are almost as good as they can be:
Entire audio file
Audio 01
It appears Oregon is not a top destination for gypsy moths, at least not this year. Only one moth has been found out of the 12-thousand traps placed statewide, according to Helmuth Rogg of the Oregon Department of Agriculture:
ROGG: "This is the lowest year since we started our gypsy moth program in 1979, the lowest catch number." :08
audio file
Audio 02
It also marks the sixth time this decade that the number of gypsy moth detections in Oregon has been in single-digits, a far cry from the mid-1980s when more than 19-thousand gypsy moths were trapped in Lane County alone. Last year, six gypsy moths were detected, leading Rogg to believe the downward trend would continue:
ROGG: "I had high hopes, because of the economic crisis in the US, that we would see less people traveling. This may be one reason. Of course, on the other hand, less people moving. So that may have helped, in addition to, of course, that we have a low year on the east side of the US." :18
audio file
New introductions of the plant-eating pest appear when people move to or visit Oregon from infested areas back east. They unwittingly bring the moth with them on motor vehicles, outdoor household furniture, or other items that may harbor gypsy moth eggs. Even though only one moth was detected this year and, for the second year in a row, no spray project is planned next spring, Rogg warns against having a false sense of security as the gypsy moth remains a threat each year. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney.
Additional audio: Audio 03
ROGG says even though only one gypsy moth was caught this year, Oregon should not become complacent in dealing with the plant-eating pest:
"It's a cyclical pest. It's going to come back in the east. We will have more people traveling again or moving. It only takes one rabid female to come over here and lay eggs in Oregon, to start up a new population." :12
audio file
Additional audio: Audio 04
ROGG says finding just one gypsy moth in all the traps this year doesn't mean too much right now, and is not enough to warrant any spraying next spring. That's the second year in a row for no eradication project:
"So one is not a concern for the time being. So we will not have an eradication project in 2011 either." :08
audio file
Full story
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/101103gypsy_moth.shtml |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|