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Gypsy moth spraying done, state to set traps this summer

The Associated Press
Gypsy moths are invasive species that have never before established themselves in the Pacific Northwest. The state concluded spraying for the insects Tuesday.
Gypsy moths are invasive species that have never before established themselves in the Pacific Northwest. The state concluded spraying for the insects Tuesday. Gyorgy Csoka Hungary Forest Research Institute

State agricultural officials have finished spraying parts of Western Washington to kill leaf-eating gypsy moths. Now, they plan to set out thousands of traps this summer to see whether those treatments worked.

The state has sprayed a biological insecticide over 10,500 acres across Puget Sound, including Lacey, Nisqually, Seattle’s Capitol Hill, Tacoma and Vancouver.

Each site was treated three times to kill moths that devour shrubs and trees and can make forests more vulnerable to other problems.

The spraying was done after Asian and European gypsy moths were caught in traps around the region last year.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 2:53 PM with the headline "Gypsy moth spraying done, state to set traps this summer."

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