Please pardon the dramatic headline.   As far as I know, a few gypsy moths
start defoliating a few Iowa oaks every summer.   The problem this summer is
that they may not be stopped as they have been in the past, and there may be
many more gypsy moths and defoliated oaks in our future.

I was dismayed when I read that the state of Iowa is proposing to end funding
for the state gypsy moth control program.   To the best of my knowledge, the
program is funded by the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship
(DALS) and costs $150,000 per year.     So far, it has managed to prevent
gypsy moths from becoming established in this state.   Without a control
program, I think it's safe to say that within a few years, gypsy moths will
have established infestations in Iowa and will start the process of spreading
throughout the state.   The consequences will be economic as well as
environmental.

Gypsy moths, for those who don't know, are non-native moths brought to New
England to start a silkworm industry.   They escaped and became a serious
invasive pest.  (Sound familiar?)   They've been spreading on their own
through much of the eastern U.S., but their fastest means of invading new
territory is when people inadvertantly carry their egg cases to new areas.
The egg cases are often glued on mobile homes, vehicles, boats, and other
large objects which end up being transported.   In addition, infested nursery
stock sometimes reaches Iowa.

One infestation in a small Iowa town was traced to an heirloom picnic table
brought to Iowa from Michigan.   The owner was shocked when the table was
turned over by investigators -- it had lots of gypsy moth egg cases glued to
the underside.   If it weren't for the gypsy moth program, the descendents of
the caterpillars that emerged from those cases would probably still be
munching and spreading.

The Iowa program works by setting and monitoring traps to detect new gypsy
moth infestations, investigating to find out the sources of the infestations,
and controlling the moths.   If the moths become established in Iowa, the
results will probably include more pesticide use, defoliation of oak trees (a
gypsy moth favorite), and the munching of certain ornamental landscaping
species.   But from what I've heard,  oaks are the biggest concern.

As a side note, a non-native parasitic fly was imported to North America to
control gypsy moths, but the fly wasn't tested for specificity.   The result
is that the fly  preys on native silkworm moths (including such beautiful
species as Cecropia and Polyphemus).   Silkworm moth populations have fallen
sharply in some areas.

What surprises me most is that there has been, as far as I know, no media
coverage about what will probably happen in Iowa if the gypsy moth program is
eliminated.   It seems to me that Iowans should at least be informed about
what's ahead.   I have suggested coverage to a local reporter, and perhaps
others could contact reporters in their areas.   (It might be interesting to
see an estimate of the total economic impact if gypsy moths become
established throughout Iowa.)  If funding for the gypsy moth program can't be
restored, maybe a substitute could be cobbled together.

I welcome corrections to any mistakes above, and thanks for reading this long
posting.


Cindy Hildebrand
[log in to unmask]
Ames, IA  50010


"...on the warmer southern slopes a few of the splendid bird's-foot violets
of the prairie were showing the azure color which would soon make some of the
hillsides as blue as the sky..."   (Herbert Quick)

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