Battle plan set against gypsy moths
Sun Staff March 19, 2013 4:54PM
A gypsy moth caterpillar is considered to be a serious forest and urban landscape pest, capable of eating the leaves of 500 species of trees, and can consume up to 11 square feet of foliage in its lifetime. | File photo
Maps
Updated: April 21, 2013 6:08AM
A forum has been planned where the state will explain its plans to treat the Naperville region for the destructive gypsy moth.
The Illinois Department of Agriculture will hold a presentation March 27 in Lisle. It will offer information on treatment plans for the area to control large populations of gypsy moth, a non-native caterpillar that has established itself in Illinois and has a reputation for defoliating trees and shrubs.
The Lisle presentation will cover plans to treat 33,022 acres in Naperville and 5,079 acres at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia. The Lisle presentation will be from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 27 at the Morton Arboretum, 4100 Illinois Route 53, Lisle.
Infested sites will be treated with a bacteria that kills the gypsy moth in its larvae stage, or a gypsy moth-specific pheromone that acts as a sexual attractant and prevents male gypsy moths from breeding. Treatments would be made by helicopter in mid-to late-May and by airplane in late June.
State officials say large populations of gypsy moths can strip plants bare and leave them vulnerable to further insect attacks or disease. It feeds on hundreds of species of trees and shrubs.
Other presentations will be held in Lemont, Montgomery and Wheaton. For information, visit www.agr.state.il.us.
