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http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2010/1...b7226248404.txt

DNR: Gypsy moths found in area

Gypsy moth caterpillars are easy to identify by their red and blue spots. Photo from Purdue University
By Alicia Ebaugh
Staff Writer
Published: Friday, December 3, 2010 5:09 PM CST
LA PORTE — Gypsy moth, an invasive forest insect that defoliates and kills more than 300 kinds of trees, has been found in La Porte and St. Joseph counties, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources has announced.

Until now, the DNR’s gypsy moth management program efficiently slowed the spread and development of the moths within Indiana, Phil Marshall, DNR director of entomology and plant pathology, said in a news release. The counties are the first to be added to the list of nine other northern Indiana counties quarantined for gypsy moth since 2000.

Several outdoor items will be restricted from being moved out of the quarantined area, including cut Christmas trees, logs, recreational vehicles, boats and mobile homes. The movement of any regulated item out of the quarantined area by a business is a violation unless a valid compliance agreement is in place. Individuals are asked to inspect any outdoor household articles that might conceal gypsy moth egg masses and destroy them.

Local Christmas tree farms are not heavily affected by the quarantine, even though 80 percent of the trees they sell are bought by out-of-state families, said Cliff Guse, co-owner of Guse Tree Farm in Wanatah. They do their own inspections for pests on trees, he said.

“It really only affects trees being shipped for wholesale,” Guse said. “Most of our trees that are shipped out go to other counties that are quarantined anyway.”

The moths begin to feed in the spring after they hatch from their eggs as caterpillars, devouring the leaves of many hardwood trees and shrubs, giving summer scenes a barren, wintry look. Gypsy moth larvae have been known to defoliate up to 13 million acres of trees in one season, damaging local ecosystems and killing trees outright, according to the USDA. The larvae also crawl on homes, litter lawn furniture and pools and make outdoor activities hard to enjoy.

Oak trees are most at danger of gypsy moth infestation. The moth has become widely distributed in the northeastern United States.