national gypsy moth supplemental environmental impact statement joe cook, supervisory entomologist...
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National Gypsy Moth Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
Joe Cook, Supervisory Entomologist
NE Area State and Private Forestry
Morgantown, WV
304-285-1523
• Emergence from pupae about 4 weeks (~July)
• Males able to fly to find mates
• Males fly upwind to find scent of mates
• Scent called “sex pheromone”
Adult Egg Laying
• White female moths emerge from brown pupae and lay large hidden egg masses. Eggs laid in groups of 50-1500
• Often found on trees, house siding, firewood and under car bumpers
• Sheer number insects can be nuisance during outbreak
• Older caterpillars have distinct color markings on their backs
• Five pairs of blue dots are followed by 6 pairs of red dots
• Later stage caterpillars feed on leaves only at night
• Caterpillars crawl to the base of trees before daybreak to hide from birds
Gypsy Moth Pupa And Larval Skin
• In June caterpillars stop feeding and wander to protected place to change into pupae
• Brown pupae can be found anywhere
How Is Gypsy Moth Controlled In Nature?
Factors Related To Weather:
- Fungal disease - Entomophaga maimaiga - spreads through population during wet springs
- Spores blown in wind will germinate on caterpillars exposed to soaking rains and kill them
- Dead caterpillars covered with spores will infect nearby caterpillars
How is Gypsy Moth Controlled in Nature
Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Covered By Fungal Spores
• Spores easily seen on caterpillars
Gypsy Moth Caterpillar Covered by Fungal Spores
How Is Gypsy Moth Controlled In Nature?
Factors related to gypsy moth abundance:
LOW ABUNDANCE
- mice and other rodents eat them
MEDIUM ABUNDANCE
- predatory insects (ground beetles)
- parasitic wasps (Cotesia melanoscelus)
HIGH ABUNDANCE
- Nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV)
How is Gypsy Moth Controlled in Nature?
V-shaped Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
• NPV has killed caterpillar and is handing in V-shaped position• V-shaped position caused from virus changing tissues and
muscles into a soup filled with infectious virus spores
V-Shaped Gypsy Moth Caterpillar
• NPV infected caterpillars rupture and splash soupy virus-filled contents on neighboring leaves
• Caterpillars eating the soup will die
• Virus spreads rapidly to new caterpillars leaving few, if any, to develop into moths
NPV Infected Caterpillar
How Gypsy Moths Defoliate
Leaves:
• Caterpillars eat everything but the leaf midrib
• 11 sq. ft. of foliage consumed
by each caterpillar
Trees:
• Caterpillars hatching from 100 egg masses will consume over 3 acres of foliage
• During pest outbreaks each tree can have more than 200 egg masses
Why is gypsy moth defoliation a problem?
• Defoliation starts in May and continues into early June- preferred trees - oaks• Caterpillars eat leaves of 500 species of trees and plants• 8 million acres of forested lands defoliated in 1990• Repeated annual defoliation may kill trees in 2-4 years
Gypsy Moth Defoliation (acres) 1991 to 2003
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
4,000,000
1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003
How The Gypsy Moth Population Spreads
• Population moves from a generally infested area through a transition zone to the un-infested areas
(Natural spread - caterpillars blown
by the wind; Artificial spread – people who unknowingly
carry it into un-infested areas)
• Hot spots or locally infested areas decrease in size when moving away from generally infested areas
Suppression
Infested Transition Un-infested
Slow-the-Spread
Eradication Program
Objective: Eliminate gyspy moth infestations in uninfested area and eliminate Asiatic Gypsy moth where-ever it is found before populations are established
Mechanism: • APHIS and state programs- monitor gypsy moth introductions through trapping program• Education- Alerting citizens of signs of gypsy moth
Potential Outcome:•Coordinated Aerial Spray (Btk, diflurobenzuron, or gypchek, mating disruption) •No spray- Rate of population spread increased
Suppression Program
Objective: Minimize tree damage
Mechanism: • Local estimates of gypsy moth abundance and canopy cover guide the program • Communities / forests that meet the threshold are eligible for Federal matching $$
Potential Outcomes in Eligible Communities:•Coordinated Aerial Spray (Btk, diflurobenzuron, or gypchek) •No spray-Trees are defoliated
Slow the Spread Program
Objective: Slow the rate of GM movement to new areas
Mechanism: • Local estimates of gypsy moth abundance and canopy cover guide the program
Possible Outcomes in Targeted Areas:•Coordinated aerial spray of Bacillus thuringiensis or Pheromone flakes
Infe
sted
Zo
ne
10 moths/trap Line
Action Zone
(2 km trap grid)
≈50 km ≈120 km
Varies
(≈30 km)
For more information, visit: http://da.ento.vt.edu/
8 km trap grid
3 km trap grid
Management of Gypsy Moth: How Slow-the-Spread Works
Un
infe
sted
Zo
ne
Transition Zone
Sex Pheromone Trap
• Traps are deployed each spring to monitor gypsy moth populations
• These traps lure male moths with the scent of gypsy moth females. This scent is called a sex pheromone
Map of Trap Catch
• Trap catches are reported to monitor the spread
• Areas with greatest trap catch are probably infested
History of Gypsy Moth Control on Military Lands
• 1986- West Point (2548 acres Btk); Letterkenny Army Depot (1450 acres Btk)
• 1987- West Point (600 acres Btk); Camp David (420 acres Btk); Picatinny Arsenal (1222 acres Dimilin)
• 1988- Fort Richie (700 acres Btk)
• 1989- Fort Belvoir (90 acres Dimilin); White Oak NWC (50 acres Btk; 250 acres dimilin)
• 1990- Aberdeen Proving Ground (8000 acres Btk); Adelphi Labs (30 acres Btk; 70 acres Dimilin); Annapolis Naval Academy (160 acres Btk); Fort Meade (1300 acres Btk); Fort Belvoir (137 acres Dimilin); Quantico MCB (1772 acres Btk; 3314 acres Dimilin); Vint Hill Farm Station (185 acres Dimilin); White Oak NWC (40 acres Btk; 276 acres Dimilin)
History of Gypsy Moth Control on Military Lands • 1991- Aberdeen Proving Grounds (10,270 acres Btk); Andrews AFB
(1000 acres Btk); Fort Meade (7,554 acres Btk); Fort Belvoir (1708 acres Btk; 2098 acres Dimilin); Quantico MCB (7493 acres Btk; 7004 acres Dimilin); Vint Hill Farm Station (188 acres Dimilin); Wurtsmith AFB (78 acres Btk)
• 1992- Quantico MCB (1480 acres Btk; 4082 acres Dimilin); Aberdeen Proving Grounds (3000 acres Btk); Ft Meade 1128 acres Btk); Fort Belvoir (80 acres Btk; 3355 acres Dimilin)
• 1993- Quantico MCB (926 acres Btk; 3440 acres Dimilin)
• 1994- Quantico MCB (2089 acres Btk; 2890 acres Dimilin); Indianhead NWC (166 acres Btk)
• 1995- Quantico MCB (1394 acres Btk; 3999 acres Dimilin); Indianhead NWC (974 acres Btk)
• 2002- West Point (650 acres Btk)
Gypsy Moth Supplemental EIS (SEIS)
• 1995 Gypsy Moth EIS, and 1996 Record of Decision (ROD)
• New SEIS will continue with Alternative 6 (eradication, suppression, and slow the spread) as the selected alternative
• Joint U.S. Forest Service and APHIS SEIS with co-leads from each agency
• Anticipate Notice of Intent to alert public and other federal agencies of new SEIS for gypsy moth in March of 2004.
• Draft SEIS (2005)
• Final SEIS and ROD (2006)
• New SEIS will update the 1995 EIS, add new tools and chemicals such as Mimic, all health and ecological risk assessments for Btk, Dimilin, NPV, Disparlure are being redone, and a new risk assessment for Mimic is being done)