Illinois Department Of Agriculture To Begin Gypsy Moth Treatments

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Agriculture plans to start its 2010 Gypsy Moth treatment program this week.

Weather permitting, BTK, a safe and environmentally-friendly insecticide, will be aerially applied to parts of nine northern Illinois counties beginning Friday.
 
The largest treatment area, 1,886 acres, is located in southern Cook County.  Impacted communities are Park Forest, Chicago Heights, Ford Heights, Steger and University Park.  An additional 704 acres are scheduled to be treated in Stephenson County, 688 in and around Lena and six each near Loran and Rock City.  Combined, the two areas comprise about two-thirds of the total acreage to be sprayed with BTK.

Other treatment areas will affect the following communities:  Coal City in Grundy County, Newark and Plano in Kendall County, Sheridan in LaSalle County, Amboy in Lee County, Stillman Valley in Ogle County, Romeoville in Will County and Rockford in Winnebago County.  
    
Each site will receive two applications approximately one week apart.  The first application should be finished early next week. 
     
The treatments are timed to coincide with the emergence of the destructive moth's caterpillar.  However, specific application dates could be affected by wind or rain.  Maps of the treatment sites are posted on the department's website at www.agr.state.il.us.

BTK, or Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, is a naturally-occurring bacteria commonly found in soil that has been safely used in the United States as an environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides for more than 50 years.  It is non-toxic to humans, other mammals, birds, fish and most insects, including honeybees and lady bugs.

Gypsy Moths feast on the foliage of trees and shrubs, and large populations are capable of stripping plants bare.  They obtained their name because the female moth cannot fly and typically lays her eggs on objects near where she is feeding, including campers, grills and backpacks.  When these items are moved, the eggs ride along like a nomadic gypsy.

Other infested sites in northern Illinois will receive an application of pheromone, a sexual attractant that confuses male gypsy moths and prevents them from breeding.  Those applications are scheduled in late June.

Funding for the treatments comes from the Slow the Spread program, a joint local, state and federal effort to reduce and control the spread of the Gypsy Moth.