WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (AP) - The battle against the invasive gypsy moth in Tippecanoe County entered a new phase Monday morning.
A crop duster dispersed a chemical-laden white mist on portions of Purdue University and West Lafayette just before 6 a.m., making six to eight passes over the area.
“The weather was pretty near perfect for something like this, from what I gathered,” Liz Evans, public information director for Purdue, told the Journal & Courier (https://on.jconline.com/1niZhnx ).
The treatment had been delayed a week, she said, due to rainy and windy conditions.
Evans said Monday’s application was the first of three such treatments targeting the species that threatens native tree populations. It involved a chemical known as Btk, a bacterium, found in soil and on leaves, that produces protein crystals. When gypsy moth caterpillars ingest Btk, crystals form in the digestive tract, killing the insects by rupturing their stomachs.
The second treatment also will use Btk, but the third will sprinkle pheromone-scented flakes designed to disrupt the mating process.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources is conducting the treatments, Evans said, noting that the gypsy moth is more common in northern parts of the state. The first sighting in Tippecanoe County “just so happened” to be found on Purdue’s campus, she said.
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Information from: Journal and Courier, https://www.jconline.com
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