THE JOURNAL & TOPICS NEWSPAPERS | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2008

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City Plans Will Spray For Moths Again

Park Ridge is planning another aerial assault on Gypsy moths after a successful effort last spring.

The city sprayed an area encompassed by South Western Avenue, Bonita Drive, South Knight Avenue, and Granville Avenue in May of 2007. That treatment dramatically reduced caterpillar populations and increased resident satisfaction.

"There was a heavy moth population," said City Forester Sarah Tien. "The caterpillars were very irritating to the residents and threatening to defoliate all of our trees." She explained the caterpillars, hairy and about an inch long, feed on more than 500 species of trees. From a forestry perspective, their feeding can kill the trees. They also spin down from the trees on silk threads and their excrement rains down from the tree canopy. From the residents' perspective, "It's a big nuisance," she said.

The proposal comes before the Public Works Committee at the meeting tonight (Wednesday), Apr. 16 at 7 p.m. Tien hopes to gain approval for another spray of last year's target area as well as two other sections of town experiencing smaller outbreaks. One area is near Wesley and Goodwin drives and Irwin Avenue; the other is farther south near Rose and Crescent avenues. Each section is about 40 to 50 acres in size.

Tien added a helicopter sprays the naturally occurring biological agent. "It doesn't affect humans or other animals," she said. If the measure gains approval, it will probably occur near the middle or end of May.