Aerial assault to target gypsy moths this week

Weather permitting, residents in parts of the metro area will be awakened this week by low-flying airplanes engaging in this year's first aerial spraying for gypsy moths.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture operation said it plans to spray 1,500 acres in Hennepin, Anoka and Washington counties, where infestations of gypsy moths were detected last fall.

The targeted areas are:

•136 acres touching Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Edina near Hwy. 169 and Hwy. 62.

•539 acres in Coon Rapids and Andover, west of Hanson Boulevard and north of County Hwy. 14.

•844 acres in Grant, north of Hwy. 36, in and around Indian Hills Golf Club.

The infestations represent major segments of more than 4,200 moths caught in 2010 during the state's trapping program.

The flyovers will occur seven to 10 days apart. They involve aircraft flying loudly about 50 feet off the ground, often early in the morning. Officials suggest residents might want to keep pets, which can be spooked by the noise, indoors, and close windows if they are concerned about coming into contact with the Btk. Residue on vehicles and items left outside can be washed off with soapy water.

Officials have been battling the gypsy moth in Minnesota since 1969 and have treated 227,000 acres since 1980. They eliminated infestations in Minneapolis and Golden Valley in 2002, Edina in 2004, Brooklyn Park in 2006 and Richfield and Minnetonka in 2009. Urban areas with plenty of oak, poplar and birch and other shelter are ideal gypsy moth habitat. The bug has no natural predator in the United States.

The gypsy moth is an invasive species first introduced in the United States in 1869. The moth has developed into a significant forest pest from New England westward, to halfway across Wisconsin. In its caterpillar stage, which lasts about six weeks, it can quickly defoliate vast expanses of trees. In heavy infestations, the sound of falling caterpillars and the mess they make by shedding their skins frequently drives people indoors.

Information on treatment times and dates is available at the Arrest the Pest hotline at 651-201-MOTH (6684) as well as on the Web at www.facebook.com/mnagriculture, www.twitter.com/mnagriculture and www.mda.state.mn.us/gypsymoth.