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Department of Ag will spray for gypsy moths
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
The Houston County Commissioners are really getting to know a lot about tree pests. First they learned about the emerald ash borer, which is knocking on the county’s door. Last Tuesday it was the gypsy moth.
Lucia Hunt of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture was at the June 16 board meeting to let the commissioners know about an aerial spraying that is scheduled to be conducted the last week of June on about 13,000 acres in the Oak Ridge unit of state forestland just east of Rushford.
During a 30-minute presentation, Hunt told the commissioners a gypsy moth infestation has been identified in the extreme northwest corner of the county. The Department of Ag plans to use a non-toxic agent that confuses gypsy moths and prevents them from mating and populating an area.
While gypsy moths normally don’t kill a tree, the defoliation they perform will weaken a tree, and make it susceptible to other pests or disease.
A concentration of gypsy moths got to be so great last summer in a state park in the Wisconsin Dells that officials had to close the park, Hunt pointed out.
“Houston County has a very low level of gypsy moths right now and we want to keep it that way,” Hunt said. “That’s why we will be conducting aerial spraying over the Oak Ridge unit and also in Winona County.”
In other board action:
More flood money
Twin Creeks Golf of Hokah received an additional $27,995 flood recovery loan. It was for damages incurred in the 2008 flood.
Making possibly her final appearance before the county board, Joyce Iverson, who has served as a contracted EDA director for the county, brought the request to the board. The county EDA had reviewed Twin Creek’s application and recommended approval.
According to Iverson, there is still $73,046 in the flood relief loan program available.
Iverson also presented the county board with two certificates of recognition for their participation in the Walnut Street Properties project in La Crescent and the 2007 and 2008 flood recovery programs.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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The pesticide that confuses gypsy moth is not 'Non-toxic." If they are speaking of a synthetic pheromone, there are a dozen other ingredients added to it that you would be put in prison if you allowed your child to play with, yet you and your child will be breathing them.
The forest will do fine on its own, thinning out the weakest trees. With the spray, the entire system goes into shock. When is the last time nature asked Humans for help with its ability to survive and create.
A park was closed. So what. The park will return and no one was poisoned.
The sprays don't even eliminate the gypsy moth. They simply slow its spread. That is no advantage, other than the billions of dollars each year that this stuff is sprayed throughout the U.S. and world onto unknowing and decent trusting people.
Regarding trusting the state agency opinion on aerial spray, look at this press release:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_17393.cfm
Wake up!