1 00 TEMPORARY JOBS
State Outlines $9 Million Spraying Program To
Fight Gypsy Moths
BY ERIC CARLSON
* In the most extensive eradication
effort ever mounted in the U.S.
against a recently introduced leaf
eating caterpillar, airplanes will
spray insecticide over more than
130,000 acres of Brunswick and
New Hanover counties next spring.
"We'll need to spray everywhere,"
said W.A. Dickerson, plant pest ad
ministrator for the N.C. Department
? of Agriculture, when asked if resi
dential areas also will need to be
treated.
Dickerson is chairman of a man
agement team coordinating the mas
sive effort to prevent a local infesta
tion of Asian gypsy moths from
rapidly spreading throughout the
Southeast. The group held a public
forum in Bolivia Thursday night to
explain the eradication program.
Last July, a German cargo ship at
the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny
Point was found to be infested with
Asian gypsy moths. Although the
ship was immediately sent back to
sea and fumigated, insect traps set
shortly after the discovery indicated
that the moths made their way to
shore on both sides of the Cape Fear
River.
The Asian and European strains of
gypsy moths are similar in that they
can devastate huge tracts of forest by
stripping the trees of their leaves.
The European gypsy moth already
affects more than 4.2 million acres
each year, mostly in the northeastern
United States.
But the two strains differ in one
important characteristic, said Lloyd
Garcia, an agriculture department
staff entomologist. While female
"We expect to
knock them down
before they get to a
reproducing t level,
which will work
because there are
no so few out
there. "
? W.A. Dickerson, NCDA
Plant Pest Administrator
European gypsy moths are flightless
and lay their eggs within a few feet
of where they emerge from their co
coons, the Asian females can fly up
to 20 miles before laying their eggs.
Consequently, the gypsy moth
management team is mounting an ef
fort to eradicate the infestation when
it first hatches in May or June.
Aircraft will spray two types of in
secticide along the coast from
Masonboro Inlet to Tubbs Inlet and
inland to Bolivia.
Most areas will be sprayed with
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), a natural
ly-occurring bacterium that is toxic
only to caterpillars of certain damag
ing agricultural pests including the
spruce budworm, tent caterpillar,
spring and fall cankerworm, cabbage
looper and the gypsy moth. Experts
say Bt has a proven safety record
and has been used to control gypsy
moths since the 1950s.
On 4,000 acres where scientists
have determined that Bt spraying
could harm rare or fragile insect
species, an insect virus called
Gypcheck will be used against the
moths. Dickerson said. Gypcheck is
only produced in government labora
tories and is "in short supply," he
said. The local spraying program
will exhaust the nation's supply of
the virus.
Dickerson said that by targeting
the gypsy moths in a massive one
shot program over a period of about
two weeks, it should be passible to
eradicate the pests without harming
birds or other species of insects.
"We expect to knock them down
before they get to a reproducing lev
el, which will work because there are
no so few out there." Dickerson said.
"Other insects are present in such
numbers that a single spraying won't
have much impact on them. They'll
recover quickly."
The area of concern for control
ling the gypsy moth infestation has
been divided by priority into five
zones, with different treatment and
testing plans for each:
?Zone 1 includes all land areas
within eight kilometers of the route
traversed by the German cargo ship.
This encompasses a 40, 109-acre area
roughly from the N.C. Baptist
Assembly Grounds and Bald Head
Island to just north of Carolina
Beach and inland about a mile from
the Cape Fear River. The greatest ex
posure to gypsy moths occurred here
with more than 300 trapped at the
wharf where the ship docked. A min
imum of two applications of Bt are
planned with subsequent test traps to
be set at a level of 25 per square
mile.
AGRICULTURAL Extension Director Milton Coleman, Calabash Mayor Doug Simmons and nursery
owner David Nelson of Longwood (left to right) discuss the state 's plan to eradicated gypsy moths at a
public forum in Bolivia Thursday night.
Parkwood
ALL WOOD
Casual Contemporary
Bedroom Ensemble
in beautiful butternut finish!
4
PIECE
SUITERS95
?DOUBLE DRESSER
?FRAMED MIRROR
?FULL OR QUEEN
PANEL
HEADBOARD
?FULL OR QUEEN
FREE-STANDING
BED FRAME
CHEST & NIGHTSTAND
OPTIONAL
?Financing Available
?Layaway
?Major Credit Cards
?Delivery Arranged
MATTRESS SETS
BUDGET FIRM
TWIN
SIZE
EA. PC.
FULL EA. PC.
QUEEN SETS
KING SETS
*38
00
w
?158"
?238
MEDIUM FIRM
INNERSPRING
TWIN
SIZE
EA. PC.
FULL EA. PC.
QUEEN SETS
KING SETS
*48
00
?68
?178
?278"
COMFORT FIRM
312 Colls
Be. $58??
FULL EA. PC. TV
QUEEN SETS M99
KING SETS ?2 19
rzs\ SEALY
?3 DEEP
SLUMBER FIRM
TWIN
SIZE
EA. PC.
FULL EA. PC.
QUEEN SETS
KING SETS
0
SEALY
METROPOLITAN
PLUSH OR FIRM
TWIN
SIZE
EA. PC.
FULL EA. PC.
QUEEN SETS
KING SETS
BEDDING PRICED IN SETS ? ODD PIECES AVAILABLE;
$129<
GUARANTEED
LOWEST
PRICES!
DAY BEDS
? MANY STYLES |
AS LOW AS
? MATTRESS
DISCOUNTERS
Shallotte, Across from Hardees
Open Mon Sat 9-5
[ 754^2370
i
I.QON OF GYPSY MOTH STRAINS
m
?U?C*>EA.N OVPSV WO* "
? Hosts oakN<?irch. willovJ
? Day time flyer
? Female flightless^
'a
Hosts o.ik birch willow
Day and ntqht flyer
Frm. lie t- ;k; * i
? *
I
STAfF PHOTOS BY E>u<_ CARLSON
ENTOMOLOGIST Lloyd Garcia of the N.C. Department of Agriculture explains the difference be
tween two strains of Gypsy Moth at a public forum called to outline the state 's plan to combat a recent
ly discovered infestation of the pests in Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
?Zone 2 extends north and west
of Zone 1 to two miles beyond the
furthest initial catches, where 12
moths were trapped. The area en
compasses about 68,162 acres from
Masonboro Inlet almost to Bolivia
and east to the border of Zone 1 . At
least two applications of Bt are
planned followed by trapping at 25
traps per square mile.
?Zone 3 is a 12-mile strip running
along the South Brunswick Island
beaches and two miles inland from
Caswell Beach to Tubbs Inlet. Moths
were trapped here along the shore
line, suggesting that they flew to the
coast from the ship as it was an
chored offshore. In this area .of
22,198 acres, a minimum of two ap
plications of Bt are planned, with
follow-up trapping at 25 traps per
square mile.
?Zone 4 encompasses 58,074
acres between Zones 1, 2 and 3,
roughly from N.C. 133 to Supply
and south toward Holden Beach.
Only two gypsy moths were cap
tured in 17 traps set in this area.
Spraying is not planned initially, but
traps will be set at a rate of 25 per
square mile and checked every three
days. Trapping will be increased to
nine per mile if any moths are cap
tured after the spraying program.
?Zone 5 extends 30 miles out
from Zone 1 and includes the proba
ble maximum distance the females
could reach during the first season.
Traps will be set at 25 per square
mile and increased following any
positive moth captures.
In all, more than 20,000 traps will
be set to track the success of the
spraying program and to identify ar
eas where additional spraying is
needed. The program is expected to
cost about $9 million and will in
clude the hiring of about 100 part
time workers to monitor the traps be
tween May and August, Dickerson
said.
SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S
SAVE S SAVE $ SAVE S SAVE $ SAVE $ SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S SAVE S
FURNITURE ^
72t-xt>u6u.t<vi4
Check Out Our Everyday Low Prices!
Ready For Delivery!
\\ Over 60 Recllners,
iVi* r? ~'t \ Rockers and Swivel
iW ? V Rockers In Stock and
Ready To Deliver
{ U jpss - Many Styles & Colors!
Uy%%!!%For
SAVE
20%
TO
60%
OFF
Ust Everyday
Warehouse Furniture
Hwy. 90 Nixon's Crossroads
(803)249-8874
90 DAYS
SAME AS CASH
Faced with
Financial Surprises?
It's no laughing matter when unexpected expenses arise. But you can be
prepared with one of our savings plans. Call or stop by today to find out about:
Money Market Accounts
Passbook Savings Accounts
Certificates of Deposit
Interest-Earning Checking
Accounts
Security
SAVINGS & LOAN ASSOCIATION
1
?Shallotte 'Calabash
754-4371 579-3595
?Leland ?Southport
371-6546 457-5246
?Long Beach
278-6022
5^
? .... /