by Michael Phippen, PaBIA Environment Director
If you are suffering from an infestation of gypsy moths on your island or property, PaBIA is offering a partial solution that should help curtail the infestation next summer by offering an instructional YouTube for making traps and getting the ‘bait’ (lures, which consist of pheromone saturated elastics – packed with 10 in one envelope) to you at no cost to PaBIA members.
We are extremely grateful to Dr. Rosie Chong, from the chemistry department at the University of Waterloo, for allowing us to participate in her program.
Please note, however, there is a very short window of opportunity in which to accomplish this. The caterpillar stage will soon be over as the gypsy moths morph to the pupa stage, which lasts just a very short time. When they emerge as adult moths, the non-flying females give off a pheromone, a chemical substance, which attracts the flying males. Males will fly upwind to the pheromone, and if you have a trap with a much higher concentration of pheromone than the female produces, the males will fly to your trap instead. NOW (this week) is the best time to make and set your traps.
Please watch this “how-to” YouTube video to learn how to make your own (pheromone) traps from litre size plastic juice containers! Then pick up your supply of Lures at any of our three major marinas, Beacon, Desmasdons, Payne’s, or from the Ojibway Gift Shop. You must act quickly though, as the mating season of the gypsy moth is usually complete around the middle of July. Again please remember, this will not help us for this summer, but certainly will help in the control of the gypsy moths next season.