PITTSBURGH — The Pennsylvania Game Commission will soon spray 38,000 acres of state game lands to protect wildlife from spongy moths.
Spraying will happen at 16 different state game lands in late April and May, as soon as leaf-out occurs, and moth egg masses hatch. Spraying won’t be scheduled on the mornings of youth turkey season (April 26) or the opening day of spring gobbler (May 3).
On any other day, hunters may encounter the aircraft spraying forested areas.
“We recognize some hunters might be temporarily affected by these activities, but disturbances are brief and only temporary, and by protecting these valuable habitats against a destructive, invasive pest, the forests will provide hunters the opportunity to chase gobblers there for generations to come,” said Paul Weiss of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
The spraying efforts focus on the Southcentral, Northcentral, Southeast and Northeast regions. Game commission officials say these forests have building populations of spongy moths that could cause severe defoliation if left untreated.
“Oaks are the main target of spongy moths, and they also provide the best and most reliable wildlife foods,” Weiss said. “This loss of acorn availability across such a potentially large area can have extremely detrimental impacts on wildlife populations ranging from chipmunks and squirrels all the way up to deer and bears.”
The game commission is spraying an insecticide called Mimic 2LV, which they say is generally considered safe for humans.
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