Willis
05-19-2006, 03:26 PM
The following were inadvertently archived and I am making an effort when time permits, to restore them to the active SGMC Forum. Hence the lack of temporal continuity in some of the subjects.
Campbell says:
I have come up with a list of questions about gypsy moths that landowners in Shannondale and River View Park ask on a regular basis and the answers to these questions. So the post won't be too lengthy I have divided it into three parts.
Part 1 - The survey and spraying process;
Part 2 - Financial aspects;
Part 3- Spray materials.
Here is Part 1:
Q: Who surveys for gypsy moth egg masses and when do they do the surveys?
A: The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) surveys in the fall and we are notified of the results by the end of November. The SGMC applies for egg mass surveys every August so we know the status of gypsy moth caterpillars on our property. Lands are not automatically surveyed, so an application needs to be made every year in order for our property to be surveyed.
Q: When do we spray for gypsy moth caterpillars?
A: Typically in early May but a lot depends on temperature, leaf development and egg mass development
Q: How are we notified of the spraying date?
A: The WVDA notifies the Chairperson of the SGMC the day before Shannondale/River View Park is to be sprayed so there is not enough time to notify the landowners. If a landowner wants to be notified they should contact the chairperson and request this ahead of time.
Q: How many acres in Shannondale/River View Park have been sprayed for gypsy moths?
A: 2200 acres were sprayed in 2001 and 802 acres were sprayed in 2002. Many more acres were sprayed prior to 2000.
Q: What is the current gypsy moth status in the state?
A: We are waiting for a report but there were counties with qualifying egg mass counts. The letter from WVDA reporting on this year's gypsy moth egg mass survey in Shannondale/River View Park stated that egg mass densities in general appear to be increasing. Shannondale/River View Park did not have qualifying egg mass counts this year and will not need to be sprayed in 2005
Part 2-FINANCIAL ASPECTS:
Q: What is the SGMC yearly fund raising goal?
A: A minimum of $500.
Q: How much money has been spent on spraying costs?
A: After 2000, a total of $23,790 in 2001 and 2002.
Q: What is the criteria to get Federal funds?
A: The Feds pay 43% of the cost of spraying if there are a minimum of 250 egg masses per acre in residential areas. The landowners pay the remaining 57%.
Q: Why does the SGMC continue to collect funds every year when we did not need to spray in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
A: 1) We do not know from year to year how much acreage we will need to spray and the gypsy moths can rebound very quickly. For example there was a jump from 0 defoliated acres in the state in 1999 to 299,418 acres in 2000 and a jump from 299,418 acres in 2000 to 603,630 in 2001. 2) Jefferson County, among many others, is infected with the caterpillars and even though they may be suppressed for a period of time, we will always have them. We are what is termed as "maintenance" meaning that we will always have a population ready to erupt at any given time, and we are not in the "slow the spread" category. 3) Contributions vary widely each year and are generally on the decline 4) Spraying costs continue to increase 5) Budget cuts, both State and Federal, continue to loom over the gypsy moth suppression program 6) We have had several years of wet and rainy springs that promote the fungus that naturally suppresses the gypsy moths, but we cannot depend on this every year.
Q: Are financial reports available to landowners?
A: Yes, they are available upon request.
Q: How much should I contribute every year:
A: Average contribution per landowner for October/November/December 2004 was $57, but there is a wide variation in contributions. It is up to the individual landowner what they want to contribute and of course a lot depends on the amount of land that is owned.
Q: What is the spray cost per acre?
A: In December 2000, the landowner's share for Dimilin was $7.33 per acre and for BT was $9.00 per acre. In December 2001, the landowner's share for Dimilin was $9.32 per acre and for BT was $10.32 indicating that spraying costs continue to increase.
Q: Why are you asking for more than it costs to spray my individual property?
A: Because most people don't contribute every year or even when there is a crisis. Typically a large number of acres needs to be sprayed in order to suppress the population. We need to collect enough to cover the broader area that does need to be sprayed even if individual landowners don't contribute.
Q: Can I get my individual lot sprayed?
A: Typically no. The spray blocks need to contain a minimum of 50 contiguous acres with no omits. PLUS, it would do no good to spray individual lots because there would be so much blow in and crawl in of caterpillars from surrounding property. Even if individual lots could be sprayed, it would not be an effective way to suppress the population. We have to look at Shannondale and River View Park in its entirety in terms of spraying efforts.
Part 3-SPRAY MATERIALS:
Q: How safe is Dimilin, the insecticide that has been used for Gypsy Moth spraying in Shannondale and River View Park?
A: Dimilin has a very low toxicity to humans and other animals for two reasons: First, Dimilin works by inhibiting chitin formation in the body wall of insects, thus it is specific to insects and closely related forms such as crustaceans. Second, humans and other animals have the ability to absorb the compound, biochemically degrade it, and eliminate it from their systems. These facts, plus the fact that extremely low application rates are used in gypsy moth spray projects make it highly unlikely that a health hazard would occur.
Q: Should I cover my fish pond?
A: You probably should, only because the WVDA uses a different chemical, BT, for treatment around lakes and rivers. BT is used to treat the property around the lake and on the river, but Dimilin is used to treat the rest of Shannondale and River View Park.
Campbell says:
I have come up with a list of questions about gypsy moths that landowners in Shannondale and River View Park ask on a regular basis and the answers to these questions. So the post won't be too lengthy I have divided it into three parts.
Part 1 - The survey and spraying process;
Part 2 - Financial aspects;
Part 3- Spray materials.
Here is Part 1:
Q: Who surveys for gypsy moth egg masses and when do they do the surveys?
A: The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) surveys in the fall and we are notified of the results by the end of November. The SGMC applies for egg mass surveys every August so we know the status of gypsy moth caterpillars on our property. Lands are not automatically surveyed, so an application needs to be made every year in order for our property to be surveyed.
Q: When do we spray for gypsy moth caterpillars?
A: Typically in early May but a lot depends on temperature, leaf development and egg mass development
Q: How are we notified of the spraying date?
A: The WVDA notifies the Chairperson of the SGMC the day before Shannondale/River View Park is to be sprayed so there is not enough time to notify the landowners. If a landowner wants to be notified they should contact the chairperson and request this ahead of time.
Q: How many acres in Shannondale/River View Park have been sprayed for gypsy moths?
A: 2200 acres were sprayed in 2001 and 802 acres were sprayed in 2002. Many more acres were sprayed prior to 2000.
Q: What is the current gypsy moth status in the state?
A: We are waiting for a report but there were counties with qualifying egg mass counts. The letter from WVDA reporting on this year's gypsy moth egg mass survey in Shannondale/River View Park stated that egg mass densities in general appear to be increasing. Shannondale/River View Park did not have qualifying egg mass counts this year and will not need to be sprayed in 2005
Part 2-FINANCIAL ASPECTS:
Q: What is the SGMC yearly fund raising goal?
A: A minimum of $500.
Q: How much money has been spent on spraying costs?
A: After 2000, a total of $23,790 in 2001 and 2002.
Q: What is the criteria to get Federal funds?
A: The Feds pay 43% of the cost of spraying if there are a minimum of 250 egg masses per acre in residential areas. The landowners pay the remaining 57%.
Q: Why does the SGMC continue to collect funds every year when we did not need to spray in 2003, 2004 and 2005.
A: 1) We do not know from year to year how much acreage we will need to spray and the gypsy moths can rebound very quickly. For example there was a jump from 0 defoliated acres in the state in 1999 to 299,418 acres in 2000 and a jump from 299,418 acres in 2000 to 603,630 in 2001. 2) Jefferson County, among many others, is infected with the caterpillars and even though they may be suppressed for a period of time, we will always have them. We are what is termed as "maintenance" meaning that we will always have a population ready to erupt at any given time, and we are not in the "slow the spread" category. 3) Contributions vary widely each year and are generally on the decline 4) Spraying costs continue to increase 5) Budget cuts, both State and Federal, continue to loom over the gypsy moth suppression program 6) We have had several years of wet and rainy springs that promote the fungus that naturally suppresses the gypsy moths, but we cannot depend on this every year.
Q: Are financial reports available to landowners?
A: Yes, they are available upon request.
Q: How much should I contribute every year:
A: Average contribution per landowner for October/November/December 2004 was $57, but there is a wide variation in contributions. It is up to the individual landowner what they want to contribute and of course a lot depends on the amount of land that is owned.
Q: What is the spray cost per acre?
A: In December 2000, the landowner's share for Dimilin was $7.33 per acre and for BT was $9.00 per acre. In December 2001, the landowner's share for Dimilin was $9.32 per acre and for BT was $10.32 indicating that spraying costs continue to increase.
Q: Why are you asking for more than it costs to spray my individual property?
A: Because most people don't contribute every year or even when there is a crisis. Typically a large number of acres needs to be sprayed in order to suppress the population. We need to collect enough to cover the broader area that does need to be sprayed even if individual landowners don't contribute.
Q: Can I get my individual lot sprayed?
A: Typically no. The spray blocks need to contain a minimum of 50 contiguous acres with no omits. PLUS, it would do no good to spray individual lots because there would be so much blow in and crawl in of caterpillars from surrounding property. Even if individual lots could be sprayed, it would not be an effective way to suppress the population. We have to look at Shannondale and River View Park in its entirety in terms of spraying efforts.
Part 3-SPRAY MATERIALS:
Q: How safe is Dimilin, the insecticide that has been used for Gypsy Moth spraying in Shannondale and River View Park?
A: Dimilin has a very low toxicity to humans and other animals for two reasons: First, Dimilin works by inhibiting chitin formation in the body wall of insects, thus it is specific to insects and closely related forms such as crustaceans. Second, humans and other animals have the ability to absorb the compound, biochemically degrade it, and eliminate it from their systems. These facts, plus the fact that extremely low application rates are used in gypsy moth spray projects make it highly unlikely that a health hazard would occur.
Q: Should I cover my fish pond?
A: You probably should, only because the WVDA uses a different chemical, BT, for treatment around lakes and rivers. BT is used to treat the property around the lake and on the river, but Dimilin is used to treat the rest of Shannondale and River View Park.