Helicopter spraying Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) for gypsy moth eradication. Lane County, Oregon.

Photo by: David Bridgwater Date: 1985

Credit: USDA Forest Service, Region 6, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection. Collection: Region 6, Forest Health Protection slide collection; Regional Office, Portland, Oregon.

Note: Lane County Gypsy Moth Eradication Program (mid-1980s):

The Oregon Department of Agriculture is the lead agency for the gypsy moth detection program in Oregon. Agencies involved in the eradication program included the Oregon Department of Agriculture, USDA APHIS, USDA Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry, and private timber companies.

Three gypsy moths were initially detected in 1982 in the town of Lowell in west-central Oregon. These moths were caught in pheromone-baited traps during surveys conducted annually by the Oregon Department of Agriculture. In 1983, four more moths were caught in Lowell. After the trapping program was intensified in 1984, over 19,000 moths were caught in or near Lowell.

In the late spring of 1985, 226,045 acres were treated with Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki. Later that fall, the intensive trapping program identified additional infested areas in the same general area. Followup treatments with Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki were applied in 1986 (189,011 acres), 1987 (7,235 acres), and 1988 (2,995 acres). In addition to the aerial application of biological insecticides, State and federal quarantines were established in 1985 covering ~1,200 square miles to prevent people from moving gypsy moths out of the infested area. No further treatments were required after 1988. The total cost of the Lane County eradication program (including detection, eradication, and trapping) from 1984 to 1989 was about $18,000,000. From: <a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/forest-grasslandhealth/invasivespecies/?cid=fsbdev2_027210" rel="nofollow">www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r6/forest-grasslandhealth/invasive...</a>