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State holding gypsy moth open house in Kent Nov. 30

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will hold a gypsy moth open house in Kent, the site of more than half of all the state’s gypsy moth catches this past summer. WSDA staff will be on hand to discuss the catches and strategies for controlling the destructive pest.

Of the 75 gypsy moths caught in Washington last summer, 43 were caught in Kent. All the catches were within approximately a quarter mile of the intersection of W. Willis St. and Washington Ave. S.

WSDA will not make a decision until mid-December about whether to propose treatments at any specific site during the spring.

The open house will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 30 in the multipurpose room at Kent Elementary School, 24700 – 64th Ave. S. in Kent. Residents are invited to drop in anytime during this period.

The gypsy moth is one of the worst forest pest insects ever brought into the U.S. It attacks more than 500 species of trees and shrubs, causing millions of dollars of environmental and economic damage in the U.S. annually. The moth is permanently established in 19 states in the East and upper Midwest.

The gypsy moth has been detected in Washington state every year since 1977, but permanent populations have not been established because of aggressive trapping and eradication programs.

“We’ve kept permanent populations of the moth out of the state for more than 30 years,” said Jim Marra, managing entomologist with WSDA. “We want that record to continue.”

For more information on WSDA’s gypsy moth program, call the agency’s toll-free hotline (1-800-443-6684) or visit the agency’s Web site at www.agr.wa.gov/plantsinsects and click “Gypsy Moth.”
 

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