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State gypsy moth treatments to begin in Kent

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) will conduct the first of three to five gypsy moth treatments at a 25-acre site in downtown Kent as early as April 24, the agency announced today.

Boundaries of the treatment site are W. Willis St. on the south, Highway 167 (West Valley Freeway) on the east, an east-west line about 200 feet south of Meeker St. on the north, and the west side of the K-Mart parking lot on the west. No residences are located in the treatment zone.

The date of the first treatment will depend on larval development, leaf development, and weather. The treatments, consisting of a biological insecticide (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki or Btk), will be applied with ground equipment, administered about a week apart. The treatments will be conducted at night to minimize disruptions to business activities.

State entomologists have determined a reproducing population of the gypsy moth exists at the site. Of the 75 gypsy moths caught in Washington last summer, 43 were trapped in Kent.

The gypsy moth, a dangerous plant pest, has been detected in Washington every year since 1977, but permanent populations have not been established because of WSDA’s trapping and eradication programs.

For more information on the treatments, call the WSDA toll-free hotline (1-800-443-6684).

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