Pheromones employed in gypsy moth battle

by William Moore, Minnesota Public Radio

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is taking measures against the spread of gypsy moths.

The agency is treating roughly 150,000 acres in Carlton and St. Louis counties with a synthetic moth pheromone to prevent reproduction.

Lucia Hunt, a unit supervisor at the MDA, explained how the treatment will affect the moths: "We can spray it over many acres, and it basically confuses the male. So instead of following a scent to find a female, everywhere kind of smells the same, and so it loses its tracking device."

The department will focus the treatment on areas with low populations of gypsy moths since that is where the mating disruption treatment is most effective.

Hunt says there are no reports of the treatment negatively affecting humans. The treatment will last from Monday through Friday this week. The moths have become common in Wisconsin, defoliating many of the state's forests.