The Illinois Department of Agriculture will hold nine open houses to explain the proposed gypsy moth treatment plans for northern Illinois.
One open house will take place in the Oswego/Kendall County area from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, March 2 at the Oswego Public Library, 32 Jefferson Street, Oswego.
The gypsy moth is a non-native pest that feasts on more than 250 species of trees and shrubs, but its preferred food source is oak leaves. Large populations are capable of stripping plants bare which leave them vulnerable to secondary insect and disease attacks. Severe defoliation can cause tree death.
Infested sites will be treated with applications of either BtK (Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki), a naturally-occurring bacteria used by gardeners as an environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, or mating disruption (MD), a gypsy moth-specific pheromone that acts as a sexual attractant and prevents male gypsy moths from breeding. BtK is not harmful to humans, pets, or wildlife.
The BtK product is Valent Foray 48B – Organic which will be applied by helicopter in mid-May, with a second application within two weeks. The mating disruption product, Splat GM-Organic, will be applied by airplane in late June.
The gypsy moth program is funded cooperatively through the U.S. Forest Service, Slow the Spread Foundation, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Illinois has been involved with the Slow the Spread Foundation since its inception in 2000.
The presentation schedule and map of treatment sites are available through the links below.
www.facebook.com/GypsyMothIllinois or www2.illinois.gov/sites/agr/Insects/Pests/Pages/gypsy-moth.aspx.
—Village of Oswego