Open Houses Scheduled in Garrett, Allegany County to Answer Gypsy Moth Questions

Gypsy Moth Caterpillar

ANNAPOLIS, MD  – The Maryland Department of Agriculture will hold two informal open houses in Garrett and Allegany counties to answer any questions residents may have about the upcoming gypsy moth spraying season. The sessions will not include any presentations but will make staff available to help residents understand where spraying will be taking place. The gypsy moth is an invasive pest that has caused great damage and defoliation to Maryland’s forest and shade trees since it was first detected in the 1970.

• The Allegany County open house will be held Tuesday, March 11, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Allegany College of Maryland, 12401 Willowbrook Road, Cumberland in the Continuing Education Building, Room #8.
• The Garrett County open house will be held Thursday, March 13, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Discovery Center, State Park Road, in Swanton.

The first gypsy moth eggs masses were detected in Maryland in 1971, and the first extensive defoliation occurred in 1981. Large periodic outbreaks of gypsy moth have affected hundreds of thousands of acres statewide, much of it in Western Maryland. Each fall and winter, MDA conducts an extensive survey for gypsy moth egg masses to determine whether to conduct aerial insecticide treatments to protect and preserve forest and shade trees. This year, MDA intends to spray nearly 5,200 acres for gypsy moth: 2,745 acres in Garrett County; 2,233 acres in Allegany; and 221 acres in Talbot County on the Eastern Shore.

For more information about MDA’s Forest Pest Management Program.  
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