Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) routinely conducts extensive survey programs for gypsy moth (GM, Lymantria dispar) and its Asian strain (Asian gypsy moth, AGM). Both moths can be detected with the same trap and lure.

ODA placed 11,372 GM and AGM traps throughout Oregon in 2009. Six GMs were caught at five new sites. Two single GMs were caught in two traps, about a quarter mile apart, in an RV park on Jantzen Beach, North Portland. One of the moths was caught in a nun moth trap. All other GMs were single catches detected at four new sites: one in Multnomah County (in NE Portland) and three in Clackamas County (two in Aurora and one in Clackamas). Delimitation trapping will be conducted in 2010 around all 2008 and 2009 positive sites. No moths were found at four sites where single GMs were caught in 2007, including Sunriver (Deschutes County), Wasco (Sherman County), Murphy (Josephine County), and Clatskanie (Columbia County). These sites are now declared free of GM. No moths were found at four sites where single or double GMs were caught in 2008. These include Portland (Multnomah and Washington counties) where single moths were detected at three sites, and SW Eugene (Lane County) where two moths were trapped in one trap. Another year of negative delimitation trapping is required before these sites are declared free of GM.

Three aerial treatments of Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) were applied by helicopter in spring 2009 to 626 acres in Eugene, Lane County, to eradicate a GM infestation. Delimitation trapping at this site in 2009 did not detect any moths. Delimitation trapping will continue at Eugene in 2010.

No GMs were trapped at a previous eradication site in Shady Cove, Jackson County this year. In 2008, we sprayed 336-acres with Btk to eradicate GMs there. The GM infestation in Shady Cove is now declared eradicated after two years of negative trapping.

AGM populations in Asia and the Russian Far East continue to pose a threat to the US and Oregon. International trade and commerce activities increase the likelihood of new introductions.

Oregon's AGM trapping program was expanded to include major cities, highways, and railroads receiving or transporting cargo and containers originating from Asia. We also incorporated the USDA APHIS AGM risk model into our trapping grid allocation. We placed 6,836 AGM traps in 2009. Major ports and waterways at risk from ships carrying AGM egg masses were also trapped including about 90 miles of the Columbia River (from Astoria to Portland) and the port of Coos Bay (Coos County). Nine traps per square mile were placed for three miles inland from waterway margins, followed by four traps/mi2 for another two miles inland. The port of Coos Bay was trapped at four traps/mi2.

The site of the 2007 AGM eradication in St. Helens was trapped with 799 traps in 2009 following APHIS delimitation protocol. No moths were trapped at this site. The AGM in St. Helens is now declared eradicated after three years of negative trapping.

We do not anticipate a GM or AGM eradication spray program for 2010 because we did not detect any breeding population of GM or AGM this year.