More than 26,000 acres in West Virginia could be treated for invasive spongy moth

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Areas of Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy and Morgan counties in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle are under consideration for treatment for Lymantria dispar, commonly known as the spongy or gypsy moth .

The moth is considered one of America’s most destructive invasive species .

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) announced in a press release that it and the United States Department of Agriculture-Forest Service (USDA-FS) are proposing aerial treatment of approximately 26,562 acres of land with Mimic 2LV or Foray 48B.

The WVDA said Mimic 2LV is an agent with “very low toxicity to all mammals and aquatic species” and Foray 48B “affects young caterpillars with minimum effects on other insects and animals.” It provided a map of the program area.

The WVDA said it has already contacted landowners in the proposed project area, who signed a contract with the WVDA, paid a deposit and selected the spray agent to be used on their property.

The recommendation comes as the WVDA said it “anticipates the possibility of significant defoliation in 2024 because of an increase in the Lymantria dispar population in areas of Berkeley, Grant, Hampshire, Hardy and Morgan Counties.”

The WVDA said public comments about the proposed spraying can be submitted in writing to Jeff Johnson or Tom Pownall, P.O. Box 9, New Creek, WV 26743 or via e-mail to jjohnson@wvda.us or tpowall@wvda.us no later than April 1, 2024.

Back in November, the WVDA announced that it was planning on treating nearly 10,000 acres of land in southern West Virginia in an effort to slow the spread of the destructive moths.

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