Washington State Dept of Agriculture

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) announced on Dec. 27 that the department was proposing to eradicate two infestations of gypsy moths in Pierce County this spring: one at a neighborhood in Eatonville and another at the South Hill Mall in Puyallup.

Following are recent developments:

WSDA will host a public open house on the Eatonville proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The open house will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Eatonville High School, 302 Mashell Ave. N.  We will meet in The Commons area, the school’s cafeteria. You and members of your staff or families are invited to attend.  Drop in anytime during this period to talk to WSDA entomologists and other subject matter experts, pick up handouts on the proposal, and/or view display boards and video presentations on the gypsy moth.

  • We will conduct an open house for our South Hill Mall project on Monday, Feb. 13 at Woodland Elementary School, 7707 112th St. E., Puyallup. The informal event will be held in the school gymnasium. Please feel welcome to stay for just a couple of questions you may have or stay for the entire time if you like.
  • A WSDA news release announcing the proposal was sent out on Dec. 27. The Dispatch newspaper in Eatonville posted an extensive article on the proposal on Jan. 5, as did The News Tribune, Tacoma, on Jan. 17.
  • WSDA is preparing two environmental documents—required under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The documents that will be available for 30 days of public review and comment by March. The documents assess the impact of our proposal on the environment.
  • A decision to proceed or not proceed with the proposal will be made by WSDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture after public comments from the environmental documents have been received and analyzed.
  • The gypsy moth is one of the worst forest pest insects ever brought into the U.S.  A permanent population has never been established here.  If it were ever to become established here, the impact on the state’s agriculture, horticulture, and timber industries would be catastrophic.
  • If approved, the insecticide treatment will consist of three to five applications, applied three to 14 days apart, of a biological insecticide (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki, known as Btk) beginning in late April or early May.  Btk is not considered a public health risk and will not harm beneficial insects such as bees, lady beetles, ants, or parasitic wasps, nor will it harm animals, birds, or fish.  The state Department of Health discusses gypsy moth, Btk and human health aspects at http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/Pest/egm/default.htm
  • If you have questions on either proposal, please call WSDA’s eradication coordinator, Randy Taylor, at (360) 586-8456; the WSDA toll-free hotline at 1 (800) 443-6684; or visit our agency website at http://www.agr.wa.gov/PlantsInsects/InsectPests/GypsyMoth/

We hope to see you at the open house either on Feb. 7 to focus on the Eatonville proposal or on Feb. 13 for our proposal for South Hill Mall. We also will send to you e-mail project updates in the future.