Gypsy moths targeted in Covington/Maple Valley

The Maple Valley and Covington areas are on the front lines of a battle against gypsy moths – a pest that, if left unchecked, could defoliate massive amounts of trees by eating the leaves, officials said.

The state Department of Agriculture has placed 5,500 traps for the moths in King County in a preemptive move to keep the insects from getting a toehold. At least 40 of the cardboard, tent-shaped traps are mounted within a half-mile of the cities of Covington and Maple Valley, a department spokesman said.

Tracy Shirek, trapping coordinator for King County, said the goal is to find and eradicate infestations “when they’re small. We want to keep Washington the Evergreen State.”

The gypsy moth is one of the worst forest pests in the U.S. In its caterpillar form, it attacks more than 500 species of trees and shrubs, causing millions of dollars of environmental and economic damage across the country each year, officials said. Last summer, larvae defoliated more than a million acres of trees.

The moth is permanently established in 19 states in the East and upper Midwest. It has never had a permanent population in Washington, but if it ever does, “the impact would be catastrophic,” said John Lundberg, a Department of Agriculture spokesman.

King County has the largest share of 23,000 of the traps, which will stay up until September.

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