June is Invasive Species Awareness Month in Wisconsin
Many events provide opportunities to learn about, help control invasive species
MADISON – June has been declared Invasive Species Awareness Month in Wisconsin, with dozens of events scheduled across the state to help Wisconsin residents and visitors gain a better understanding of the impact of invasive species on the state’s waters, wild lands and agricultural lands.
“Invasive Species Awareness Month is a great way to reach out to the community and provide information about some of the invasive species issues that face Wisconsin today,” said plant conservation manager Kelly Kearns, of the Bureau of Endangered Resources. “These events allow us to share information on how invasives are affecting our environment, and share ways to prevent the spread of invasives in our communities and prevent the introduction of new invasive species.”
In 2008, the focus is on aquatic invasives, but educational and hands-on events planned throughout the month will touch on all the invasive species issues Wisconsin faces. Included will be field trips, lectures, boat trips, hikes and work parties. Most events are open to all ages and experience levels, and happen on different days throughout the month of June.
Some examples include: work parties at various locations around the state to remove invasive species, such as garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a Eurasian biennial that rapidly spreads in forests and, although found primarily in the southern and eastern counties, is moving into the rest of the state; an invasive species identification bike ride through Ozaukee County; and workshops hosted by Clean Boats, Clean Waters on how to avoid spreading aquatic invasives.
Aquatic invasive species are a critical issue, given that Wisconsin is bordered by the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River, and has a network of 15,000 lakes and countless streams within its borders. Invasive Species Awareness Month provides an opportunity to help citizens become part of the solution by stopping the introduction, transport and spread of invasive species.
Invasive Species Awareness Month is a project of the Wisconsin Council on Invasive Species. More information and a list of Invasive Species Awareness Month events (exit DNR) are available on the council’s Invasive Species Awareness Month Web site
www.invasivespecies.wi.gov (exit DNR).
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Kearns - (608) 266-5066
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Using several methods provides best control of gypsy moths
MADISON – Aerial spraying to control gypsy moth in Wisconsin has been completed for this year, but state forestry officials say the end of aerial spraying doesn’t mean the end of options for controlling this tree-defoliating pest.
“Gypsy moth outbreaks are best controlled using a combination of management tools,” says Andrea Diss-Torrance, Suppression Program Coordinator with the Department of Natural Resources.
Diss-Torrance says aerial spraying of insecticide typically kills 85 to 95 percent of the population, and that alone is usually enough to prevent defoliation and even nuisance problems. However, if the population is very high it may be necessary for people who want to protect their tree to supplement the spray with other management tools to get good control.
“The weather last summer was very favorable for gypsy moth and we started this year with a bumper crop of eggs in some areas,” Diss-Torrance says. “Even if you kill 95 percent of a very high population with a spray, you may still be left with too many caterpillars and need to consider using additional management tools to get the control you want.”
People should check trees now for egg masses from this spring. Pictures of egg masses can be found on the state’s gypsy moth control program Web site at [gypsymoth.wi.gov] (exit DNR)
Egg masses will be torn up and pale beige by early June, and any caterpillars that could have hatched this spring will have done so. Undersides of large branches of oaks are a favorite spot for gypsy moths to lay their eggs. If there are more than 100 egg masses on a tree, it indicates there was a very high starting population of caterpillars this spring.
Even in areas that were sprayed, landowners may want to consider having a certified arborist check trees to see if a second spray of individual trees may be necessary to get the necessary control. People can search for a certified arborist for hire through the Wisconsin Arborists Association Web site:
www.waa-isa.org (exit DNR).
For homeowners with gypsy moths, putting sticky barrier bands up on trees and collecting caterpillars under burlap bands can help reduce the population of the pest on yard trees. Directions for how to use these controls are on the gypsy moth Web site gypsymoth.wi.gov under the Management Options for Yard Trees link.
In July, if homeowners see the brown pupae or white female moths on trees or siding, they can be knocked down with a broom or hose and then crushed.
“Avoid crushing the female moths with your hands or feet or her scent will get on you and male gypsy moths will be attracted to you in high numbers, “ warns Diss-Torrance. “While the males are harmless, this can be a nuisance.”
Later this month, watch for caterpillars hanging on the trunk of trees that have been killed by the fungal disease Entomophaga maimaiga or the viral disease NPV.
“The wet weather we have had this spring is favorable for Entomophaga,” Diss-Torrance says. “We are hoping that this introduced, specific fungus will cause an epidemic among the gypsy moth and cause the outbreak to collapse like it did in 2004 in the Milwaukee area.”
People who would like their property or neighborhood included in the 2009 Suppression Program spraying should contact county and local officials in July to report gypsy moth infestation and request that the county participate in the Suppression Program.
Contact information is also available on the
www.gypsymoth.wi.gov Web site (exit DNR) by clicking on a blue or red county on the map. Choose “contacts” from the left side menu on the next page that appears. Call the community contact for residential areas or the county contact for rural woodlots. If there is no community contact listed, call the county and your local public works department, community forester, or town clerk.
For properties with too many trees to make a ground-based spray affordable or physical control feasible, private aerial sprays can be arranged for 10 or more acres. A guide for doing this is also available online.
Gypsy moths seldom kill trees on their own. Mature, healthy trees can generally withstand two to three consecutive years of heavy defoliation. Instead, trees can be killed by the combination of stresses caused by defoliation, drought, soil compaction, other insects, and much more. If drought conditions occur this summer, you can help your trees stay healthy by watering them for one to two hours each week, during weeks with no rain. Do not fertilize this year or next if trees are defoliated. This can cause them to overextend themselves by producing too much foliage, too fast, with limited energy reserves.
For publication requests or questions, or to report gypsy moth infestations to the DNR call 1-800-642-6684 and choose menu option # 2 anytime 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days per week.
CONTACTS: Andrea Diss-Torrance, Suppression Program Coordinator, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 608-264-9247
