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News
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Oregon enjoys a gypsy moth-free year
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10/26/2011
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Article Content Suggested lead
It's all quiet on the gypsy moth front this year in Oregon:
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Audio 01
For the first time since wide-scale trapping began in the 1980s, not one gypsy moth has been detected in Oregon this year. Last year, only one gypsy moth was discovered and only six were trapped in 2009. That's a far cry from a couple of decades ago when more than 19-thousand of the insect pests were found in Lane County alone:
ROGG: "The population is in a downswing in some of the eastern states. But maybe it's the economy. People are not moving. People are not traveling as much as they used to. All of this maybe combined helped keep gypsy moth out of Oregon this year." :17
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Audio 02
Oregon Department of Agriculture entomologist Helmuth Rogg says new introductions of gypsy moth have been routine in the past as new residents to Oregon or travelers from infested areas back east unwittingly carry the pest with them. Zero catches this year means no spray projects planned for next spring- again:
ROGG: "That would be the third year, and that's another record for us- another year without a treatment program, which helps out tremendously for our budget situation." :11
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Slightly fewer traps were put out this year and were concentrated in areas known to be at greater risk for gypsy moth introductions. Early detection has been key in keeping the plant-eating pest from making a permanent home in Oregon. In Salem, I'm Bruce Pokarney.
Additional audio: Audio 03
ROGG says despite a low number of catches in recent years- including zero this year- it's still critical for Oregon to be vigilant for gypsy moth:
"Gypsy moth is an important invasive species that we have to control, and out in the western region, we need to get rid of and eradicate because of the impact this particular species has, not only on our agriculture, but also on our natural resources." :18
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Additional audio: Audio 04
ROGG says while the news on gypsy moth is good for Oregon, it's not so good for another insect pest, the Japanese beetle. Traps have caught 34 Japanese beetles this year, with a dozen of them found near the Portland International Airport. It's likely they hitched a ride on cargo planes originating in infested areas back east: (NOTE: the other Japanese beetles were found in Cave Junction in southern Oregon. They appear to have come in with a relatively new resident that moved to Oregon from Iowa)
"Indicators show that these are recently introduced Japanese beetle. So these are not Japanese beetle hatched out of our soil." :10
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Full story
http://oregon.gov/ODA/news/111026gypsy_moth.shtml
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