Trapping the Moth

Trapping the Moth

Trapping the Moth. I’m Greg Martin with Washington Ag Today.

If you start to notice bright green traps in trees, Mike Louisell with the Washington State Department of Agriculture reminds us it’s gypsy moth trapping season.

LOUISELL: We have detected gypsy moth in our state since 1977, however, no permanent populations of gypsy moth have ever been established in Washington State because the State Department of Agriculture traps to detect the moth and if discovered that there’s a reproducing population, we’ve eradicated the small population of gypsy moth.

Twenty-three trappers are hanging 16,000 small cardboard traps in residential neighborhoods, business districts, ports and rural areas.

LOUISELL: There are some startling new developments however. People have heard about early harvest coming for crops like blueberries and cherries and even in wheat and yet the same is true for our gypsy moth. Usually we don’t detect gypsy moth in a trap until July 24 or July 25, this year, July 8th was our first detection. We have caught 24 moths spread across King County, Pierce County and Clark County. Last year total for the whole summer was 27 moths.

Louisell says they are only trapping this year on the west side of the state due to a lack of resource funds.

And that’s Washington Ag Today. I’m Greg Martin, thanks for listening on the Ag Information Network of the West.

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