Ocean County On The List To Be Sprayed For Gypsy Moths

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture wants to spray nearly 1,000 acres in Ocean County to combat gypsy moth caterpillars, who can munch their way through trees at an alarming pace.

The DOA wants to spray 4,500 acres in five counties in 2017 - Cape May, Morris, Ocean, Sussex and Warren counties. A total of 999 acres in Manchester Township are slated to be sprayed, according to the department's website.

“We are pleased to announce that last spring’s sprayings helped decrease the gypsy moth caterpillar populations in many areas across the State,” said DOA Secretary Douglas H. Fisher. “We will continue to act by spraying the most impacted areas to minimize tree damage and nuisance to homeowners in the coming years.”

The NJDA and Department of Environmental Protection use Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) - a biological, non-chemical insecticide that kills the gypsy moth caterpillar when it's ingested.

Gypsy moths' favorite meal is oak trees, but they will gobble up just about any tree. A tree is weakened with each successive year it's attacked. Two to three years of consecutive defoliation can kill an otherwise healthy tree, according to the website.

"The gypsy moth is the most destructive forest insect pest to infest New Jersey's forests," the website states. "Repeated defoliation represents a serious threat to New Jersey woodland and shade tree resources."

The DOA gauges the severity of the infestation by doing egg mass surveys from August to December. A residential or recreational forest must have an average of more than 500 egg masses per acre and be at least 50 acres in size. A single egg mass contains up to 1,000 eggs.

The state's Department's Gypsy Moth Suppression Program is a voluntary cooperative program involving New Jersey municipalities, county agencies, state agencies, and the USDA Forest Service.

Treatment is proposed for areas of: Upper Township in Cape May County; Jefferson and Rockaway townships in Morris County; Manchester Township in Ocean County; Wanaque Borough and West Milford Township in Passaic County; Stillwater and Vernon townships in Sussex County; and Liberty, Lopatcong and White townships in Warren County.

Participation in the program is voluntary. If the towns agree, spraying would take place in May and June.

For more information on New Jersey’s gypsy moth suppression program, visit: www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/pi/prog/gypsymoth.html. Also, for national gypsy moth material, visit www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/gm/.
Image: Gypsy-moth.com