Fwd: gypsy moths??
Don Beals
Hi Don and Anna,
I hope your summer is going well with lots of cycling. We’ve got a small group of 5 or 6 riders who regularly cycle on the weekend, often doing a GCBT ride. Still no other socialization beyond that, but we’re getting closer!!!!
What is the Gypsy moth caterpillar situation like with you in Fergus. Its terrible here at Mike’s and my place, but we do have a solution to help with NEXT year. Please read below, and then I would ask that you send this e mail, along with the attachment, to the GCBT membership. Please feel free to pass it on to anyone else whom you know who might be interested. Honestly – we can make literally a million lures, so distribution is the issue, not supply. If you are interested (or anyone else you know ) in acting as a distribution centre for Fergus or Elora, then I can easily package a large number of lures. In my mind, this merely entails sending out the e mail and attachment, altered with a suitable address, and then placing the lures in a box outside for people to collect whenever they want.
Never pleasant to be cycling out and having a few caterpillars drop on you….. but hopefully we can change things around next year and keep our beautiful trees.
Cheers
Rosie
HELP WITH REDUCING THE GYPSY MOTH POPULATION FOR NEXT YEAR.
The Chong husband and wife team work in the chemistry department of the University of Waterloo, and we make PHEROMONES (insect sex attractants). The gypsy moth pheromone is one which we make, and like all pheromones, it is active in extremely small quantities (about 0.1 mg is in a typical commercial lure). This pheromone is secreted by flightless female gypsy moths to attract males for mating. It attracts only male gypsy moths and no other insects. We currently have on hand enough pheromone to make about one million traps!
If you are interested in obtaining lures to be put into traps, we are providing the lures free of charge to anyone who is interested. We do not have experience in making traps but there is a lot of information available online for DIY traps including this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D02_42GtcU8&t=7s We have also gathered a little more information about gypsy moths for those who might want to know more (see attachment).
FROM JUNE 29, there will be a box on the driveway of 345 Pommel Gate Crescent, Waterloo with lures inside. They will be packaged in sets of about 10 and 50 so that you can give them to your friends and neighbours. Please use disposable gloves when handling the lures – the pheromone is naturally occurring, and poses no danger to humans or animals, but if you get it on your skin, you will likely become a moth magnet yourself! Do not get close to these lures if you have mottephobia. Spare lures should also be stored in plastic bags – unless you want to attract the moths right into your garage, shed, house, etc.
If you plan to collect a large number (greater than 50 lures) to distribute to a lot of people, we are very pleased with this idea. However, in that case, please contact us at rosemary...@gmail.com so that we can ensure that we have enough lures on hand. Please give us at least two days’ notice.
The lures and traps will NOT help in any way with the caterpillar population this year. However, it may help to reduce the number of caterpillars that will be produced next year. So, if you want to help your trees then you might want to make yourself a few traps and try drowning some moths.
Please feel free to pass this email on to anyone who might be interested.
Rosie and Mike Chong
Rosie and Mike
Here is the attachment with a lot of extra information. Thanks Don.
Rosie
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Rosie and Mike
In many parts of Ontario the gypsy moth season is drawing to a close. Due to a regulatory issue, it now appears unlikely that I will be able to distribute lures next season.
Given that the lures I provided were impregnated with roughly five times the amount of pheromone which is found in most commercial lures, I think it possible (maybe even probable) that even lures which have been used this season, might still be effective next season. We all wish we’ve seen the last of the gypsy moths, but I would suggest you store your lures in a Ziploc bag, and then place that bag in a very well sealed glass jar in your freezer. The pheromone will certainly store well – it is a question of whether it will remain impregnated on the elastic bands, or whether the freezer might “suck” the pheromone out.
Please pass this suggestion on to any people whom you know have used my lures. Apologies if you are receiving this, but did not actually obtain any lures.
I have heard from many how successful our lures have been, and hope that together, we have made a dent in the gypsy moth population for next year.
If you are wanting ways to destroy egg masses here are a few methods which have been sent to me (but I personally know nothing about egg masses).
1 Here is a video that shows how to burn the egg masses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbzCux0Ex8k
2 Vacuum the egg masses. I assume you dump the eggs in soapy water afterwards. See below.
3. There is also spraying the egg masses with a Horticultural Oil. There is info on a homemade recipe here: https://hwca.ca/2020/09/02/how-to-destroy-gypsy-moth-egg-masses/ but Ihave no idea whether it is harmful to any varieties of trees.
All the best
Rosie Chong
From: gcbt-m...@googlegroups.com [mailto:gcbt-m...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Don Beals
Sent: June 21, 2021 1:40 PM
To: gcbt-m...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [GCBT Cycling] Fwd: gypsy moths??
To all GCBT members. I received this interesting email from members Rosie and Mike Chong.
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