Aerial spraying aimed at fighting gypsy moth in Bartlett
A yellow, fixed-wing aircraft will be spraying a biological product over Bartlett this month to ward off a pest that wreaks havoc on trees.
The European gypsy moth is an invasive species whose caterpillars defoliate trees, according to the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
The aircraft will deploy Disrupt II, an environmentally friendly insect pheromone, as part of a program to keep the nuisance from establishing itself in the northeast corner of the state, officials say. It isn't a chemical that kills moths, but the product interferes with their mating by disguising a scent trail male moths uses to find females.
For details, contact the department's DeKalb office at (815) 787-5476.
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