Kelowna

In response to an increase in reported cases of Douglas-fir tussock moth infestations in the Okanagan, City and provincial staff will attend an information session this week to outline possible treatments.

“To date, we know there are outbreaks along Glenmore Road, south of the landfill to Lake Country and east of the Airport,” says Blair Stewart, Urban Forest Health Technician for the City of Kelowna.

The City will host an information session to inform the public of possible treatments for the Douglas-fir tussock moth on Thursday, March 25, 6:30-8 p.m. at Watson Road Elementary, 475 Yates Rd. (corner of Glenmore and Watson roads).

A presentation by regional entomologists from the Ministry of Forests and Range will begin at 6:30 p.m.

The Douglas-fir Tussock Moth is a destructive defoliator of Interior Douglas-fir, causing top kill and often killing the entire tree.

The moth has a one-year life cycle, with new larvae expected to emerge by May or early June this year.

As the larvae mature, they feed on new and old foliage giving the tree a scorched appearance. Trees can die after one or more years of severe defoliation.

Tussock moth caterpillars and egg masses are covered with thousands of tiny hairs these hairs can cause an allergic reaction in some people, known as “tussockosis.”

Periodic outbreaks of the tussock moth occur in the Southern Interior every 12 to 15 years. The last outbreak occurred from 1990 to 1993.

The City of Kelowna has set up pheromone traps in several locations around the city to monitor the population and progress of the tussock moth.

For more information about tussock moth, click on What’s New at www.for.gov.bc.ca/rsi/ForestHealth.

Link: Link to government website