York County Gypsy Moth Suppression Program

Program Update | Applications | Criteria | Contact Information
Gypsy Moth Links | PDF files | Life Cycle

Program Update - New Information!

As of May 13, 2009 Gypsy Moth spray activity is completed in York County.

A total of 6265 acres in 28 municipalities and portions of Rocky Ridge Park were treated.  The state also treated portions of Gifford Pinchot State Park and Fish and Game Land No. 83 in York County during the same time period. The cost share for the county suppression spraying in 2009 was underwritten by the York County Board of Commissioners.

Applications are now being accepted for assessment for the 2010 spray program. The Online application will email an electronic application to the Diane Oleson, the Program Coordinator. The application is also available as a PDF with instructions that can be printed out or copied and distributed to those without internet or who would rather mail an application. Applications for assessment are also available by contacting Cooperative Extension.

Homeowners must make application for assessment each year they believe they have a problem. The application period will end on July 31, 2009. No applications will be accepted after that date. A final decision on county participation in the state suppression program and the responsibility for the cost share will be made after an assessment of the problem is made.

Applications

INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING E-FORM

1. Open your email program.
2. Fill in the fields provided. Be sure to indicate any conditions that would restrict access such as dogs or gates. If your home is clearly marked with a house number on the building or the only home on a clearly marked driveway, you need not supply directions. If, however, you are on a lane off the main road with other homes, please describe the location and color and style of the home so it can be located. If your residence/property is on an exceptionally long driveway that would make the house difficult to find or distinguish from a house closer to the main road, please indicate this in the directions.
3. When the form is completed, save or print a copy of the form for your records.
4. Hit the “Submit” button. This will attach a copy of the form to an email addressed to the gypsy moth program coordinator (GMPC). You can add any other information that you choose in the body of the email or other attachments to the email before sending. Please mark the subject line “Application 2010”.
5. The “Clear Form” button does just that, all information will be erased. Clear the form if you need to submit a second form for another resident.
6. A reply will be sent acknowledging receipt of your form as the emails are read. If, after a few business days you have not received the acknowledgement, please re-submit or contact the office directly. The form is also available online as a downloadable PDF with printed instructions that can be copied, filled in and mailed. This may be useful for those wishing to supply forms to others not on the internet.

It is recommended that neighbors apply in groups with a designated coordinator(s). This gives the GMPC a single point of contact for the neighborhood and will allow the drawing of a more protective spray block. Please indicate the organizer or neighborhood on the application form in the space provided. Those applying as a neighborhood group or association can fill in the form and attach a list of names requesting assessment to the email. Please be sure to indicate any access limiting factors and include any necessary directions, if applicable. Do not submit names without first asking the neighbor concerned.

While every effort will be made to assess and protect properties, the program only allows for treatment of a 500 foot buffer zone around a residence. Large or irregularly shaped lots may not be entirely covered by the spray block. Properties without permanent dwellings cannot be considered for treatment under this program.

Apply Online

Print an Application with instructions for mailing

Back to top

Program Criteria
This is a forested residential program. These are the criteria as of May 30, 2008 and may change at the discretion of Pennsylvania DCNR. In order to be considered for inclusion in the program the following criteria must be met:

1. A minimum count of 250 gypsy moth egg masses per acre or significant danger of blow-in.
2. Heavily wooded (over 50% of area near the home covered by tree crown) property with a permanent dwelling on the property within 200 feet of the forest .
3. Trees on the property composed of at least 25 % highly favored species such as oaks that are at least 25 feet in height. Maples, tulip poplar, locust and pines are NOT highly favored species. Lots with a few ornamental trees, or hedgerow type groupings are not considered forested.
4. The property must have 25 contiguous acres of heavily wooded land in the surrounding area . If it is a small island of trees in the midst of fields or open lots, it will not qualify. 
5. Twenty-five acres are necessary to set a spray block, please speak to your neighbors and make application together, because they will become part of a spray block with you.

Contact Information: Diane J. Oleson, Coordinator

Back to top

Gypsy Moth Links

These sites have information about Gypsy Moth biology, the Pennsylvania suppression program, and control options.  If you need additional information, call us at (717) 840-7408.

Forest Stewardship Program http://paforeststewards.cas.psu.edu/PAprogram.html

Penn State Fact Gypsy Moth Sheet  http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/gypsymoth.htm

Pennsylvania DCNR Gypsy Moth  What Is It? http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/gypsymoth/index.aspx

Pennsylvania DCNR What Can I Do  About Gypsy Moth On My Property? http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/gypsymoth/gm_whatcanido.aspx

Pennsylvania DCNR Gypsy Moth Management  http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/gypsymoth/gypsymoth_mgmt.aspx

Pennsylvania DCNR Gypsy Moth County Coordinator Information   http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/gypsymoth/coordinators.aspx

National Forest Service Gypsy Moth Site http://www.fs.fed.us/ne/morgantown/4557/gmoth/

National Park Service IPM Gypsy Moth Manual http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/ipm/manual/gypsymth.cfm

Controlling Gypsy Moth With Bt Fact Sheet http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2174.html

The Homeowner and the Gypsy Moth: Guidelines for Control http://www.na.fs.fed.us/fhp/gm/online_info/gm/gmhb.htm#Hosts

The Pennsylvania Pesticide Hypersensitivity Registry, which is maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, is a list of people who have been verified by a physician to be excessively or abnormally sensitive to pesticides. If you feel this might apply to you and want more information, Please visit: http://www.pested.psu.edu/faq/general.shtml

Gypsy moth is one among many invasive species of concern in Pennsylvania. For more information, please visit these web sites:

Pennsylvania Invasive Species Council http://www.agriculture.state.pa.us/PISC/site/default.asp

Pennsylvania DCNR Forest Important Insects and Diseases http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/pests/

Emerald Ash Borer http://www.emeraldashborer.info/index.cfm

Elongate Hemlock Scale http://www.ento.psu.edu/Extension/factsheets/elongateHemlockScale.htm

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid http://www.ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/hemlockwoolly.htm

DCNR Invasive Exotic Plant Tutorial http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/invasivetutorial/List.htm

Back to top

To open and read PDF files you need Adobe Reader on your computer.

Links to PDF files

Commonsense Precautions in a Spray Area

Homeowner Options For Gypsy Moth Control

Bt information bulletin

Arborist List

PA Licensed Aerial Applicators List

Back to top

Gypsy Moth Life Cycle Images

Female adult and egg mass Eggs August to end of April M. Ciesla, Forest Health Management International,www.forestryimages.org	Gypsy moth caterpillar May to end of June Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Archive, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, www.bugwood.org

Gypsy moth pupae Early July Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Forestry Archive, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, www.bugwood.org	Adult male (brown) and female (white) moths Late July H. Ghent, USDA Forest Service, www.forestryimages.org

Back to top