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Raymond Poe, Director ● Bruce Rauner, Governor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASECONTACTS:
February 16, 2017Rebecca Clark (217) 558-1546
Morgan Booth (217) 785-5485

OPEN HOUSES SCHEDULED TO EXPLAIN 2017 GYPSY MOTH TREATMENT PROGRAM

Presentations to cover treatments in northern Illinois

SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Agriculture will hold four open houses to explain its plans this year to treat parts of northern Illinois for the destructive gypsy moth.

The gypsy moth is a non-native pest that feasts on more than 250 species of trees and
shrubs, but its preferred food source is oak leaves. Large populations are capable of stripping plants bare, leaving them vulnerable to secondary insect and disease attacks. Severe defoliation also can cause tree death.

Infested sites will be treated with applications of either BtK (Bacillus thuringiensis var. Kurstaki), a naturally-occurring bacteria used by gardeners as an environmentally-friendly alternative to chemical pesticides, or mating disruption (MD), a gypsy moth-specific pheromone that acts asa sexual attractant and prevents male gypsy moths from breeding.

Airplanes will apply the pheromone flakes in late June. The BtK will be applied by helicopter or airplane in mid-May, with a second application being done within the following two weeks. It’s important to note that BtK has an excellent safety record and is not harmful to people or animals. People who live or work near the application site may want to stay indoors for 30 minutes to allow time for material to settle out of the air.

Anyone with any questions regarding either treatment method is encouraged to attend an open house where any and all questions will be answered. Presentations are scheduled as follows to discuss and answer any questions about treatments in the surrounding areas.

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OPENHOUSE/2222

Date / Time / Open House Location / Address
Tuesday, February 28, 2017 / 3:00 - 6:00 pm / Pontiac Public Library / 211 E Madison Street
Pontiac, IL 61764
Thursday, March 2, 2017 / 3:00 - 6:00 pm / Oglesby Public Library / 111 S Woodland Avenue
Oglesby, IL 61348
Tuesday, March 7, 2017 / 3:00 - 6:00 pm / Oswego Public Library / 32 West Jefferson Street
Oswego, IL 60543
Wednesday, March 8, 2017 / 3:00 - 6:00 pm / Freeport Public Library / 100 E Douglas Street
Freeport, IL 61032

Maps of the treatment sites are posted on the department’s website at A list of the impacted sites and their scheduled treatments follows:

Table 1. Proposed Treatments for Gypsy Moths in Illinois 2017
Block – Area Name / County / Treatment Type / Estimated Treatment Acres
LaSalle 1 / LaSalle / Btk / 1750
Plano 1 / Kendall / Btk / 775
Plano 2 / Kendall / Btk / 250
Starved Rock 1 / LaSalle / Btk / 11000
Wilmington 1 / Will / Btk / 469
Yorkville 1 / Kendall / Btk / 3000
TOTAL proposed Btk / 6 blocks, 3 counties / 17244

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OPENHOUSE/3333

Table 1. Proposed Treatments for Gypsy Moths in Illinois 2017 (cont.)
Block – Area Name / County / Treatment Type / Estimated Treatment Acres
Byron 1 / Ogle / MD / 800
Fairbury 1 / Livingston / MD / 5500
Fairbury South 1 / Livingston / MD / 1000
Forrest South 1 / Livingston / MD / 1000
Freeport West 1 / Stephenson / MD / 4000
Hanover 1 / Jo Daviess / MD / 7600
Loran 1 / Carroll / MD / 400
Northwest Pontiac 1 / Livingston / MD / 5000
Streator North 1 / LaSalle / Livingston / MD / 11500
Waterman 1 / DeKalb / MD / 400
TOTAL proposed MD / 10 blocks, 7 counties / 37200

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