GYPSY MOTH IS "HERE TO STAY"

The B.C. government's planned aerial spray program against the gypsy moth is based more on threats of U.S. trade embargoes than science, says Dr. Richard Ring, a University of Victoria entomologist. Under the controversial program, 13,400 hectares of southern Vancouver Island &emdash; mostly in Greater Victoria &emdash; will be sprayed with the biological insecticide Btk between April 1 and June 30. The plan is opposed by several municipalities and community groups who are concerned about possible health and environmental risks. Ring says that the B.C. Ministry of Forests seems unwilling to admit that the gypsy moth is "here to stay" because it's almost impossible to eradicate an insect pest once it has become established over such a wide area. He adds that the $2.5 million cost of the spray program would be better spent on long-term pest management measures on the ground, such as pheromone traps and collecting egg masses, augmented as needed by spot spraying. "The ministry should also be doing impact assessments on non-target moths and butterflies," Ring says. [VS]

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