Join the fight against the gypsy moth threat

When I recently learned of the Department of Agriculture’s plan to treat 85,000 acres along the North Shore this year to fight gypsy moth infestation, I had two questions.

The first was, “Whoa, just how big an area is that?” It certainly sounded alarming. I really wanted to see a visual; some way to better understand the efforts to stop the spread of the moths. Gimme a WWII-style map animation of the good guys with their assaults crushing the Brown Army! Muffled marching music and a radio announcer talking about inevitable victory, anything… Alas, none of the news outlets I’d searched seemed to have anything of the sort.

Many thanks go out to Mike Schommer, spokesman for the MN-DAG, for providing me not only a map, but also the answer to my second question: “What can people do to help?”

First, the map (it’s huge, so click here for the full view). As the detail image shows, the areas planned for treatment are in orange-yellow diagonal hatch-marks. The multi-colored dots represent a network of moth traps that are checked each year. Put simply, the number of moths found in each cluster of traps, help determine where to treat during the following year. It was comforting that 85,000 acres looked smaller than it sounded to me. It’s likely no coincidence that these threatened areas are all along tourist route Highway 61. As Mike explained to me, gypsy moths have a way of getting around, by laying their egg masses on cars and trailers and tents, among other things.

Which brings us to that second question. Often mistaken as being synonymous with tent caterpillars, gypsy moths are separate, and are non-native to Minnesota. Although where the moths come from is a little grey, thankfully there are some clear and easy steps that travelers can take to keep them out of our state.

Firewood: Buy it where you burn it
You’ve probably seen signage to this effect, in regards to other invasive species. Some destinations even prohibit transported firewood because of the pests that ride along with it. This holds true with the gypsy moths, so leave your own fire wood at home and purchase it at the campground.

Wash ‘em away
Egg masses are often laid on tires or in wheel-wells, so remember to take your car through a thorough car wash before you head up north.

Watch for stowaways
Don’t forget to check tents, tarps and gear at the tail end of your trip, too. Gypsy moths can spread to other areas from here, too. Deny them that satisfaction by swiping any egg masses from your stuff as you break camp.

For more information on gypsy moths, visit the MN-DAG site, where you’ll find a full section of dedicated content.