WAG - On the Track of the Wild Gypsy Moth
(Well, really one isn’t following the bugs’ tiny footprints or anything, but still, you know what I mean).
Today I again picked up the mantle of Moth Trapper for the Missouri Department of Conservation – Forestry Division. I am to hunt the vile scourge of the fearsome Gypsy Moth.
The first day on this job, as in most professions, was filled with paperwork and instructional videos.
I worked the same job last year, and my boss has been a friend to the family for over a decade, so it’s always interesting coughing up various forms of identification to prove you didn’t illegally sneak over the boarder from Canada or something. All you have to do is present some easily forged pieces of paper and “POOF!” you’re legal – as far as anyone cares or knows.
The educational portion of the day was “interesting,” which is the polite way of saying “you learned something but the presentation was lacking,” which is an even more subtle way of calling it “boring.” The man instructor meant well, but after the training my boss admitted the presenter was rather droll.
Since I’d already had a dose of the information before – I was the only returning trapper from the previous year – I decided to write down the more entertaining excerpts to better explain why my calling as moth hunter is vitally important to the “beautiful state of Missouri.”
To help protect Missouri’s “natural splendor,” steps need to be made to counter the “threat” of the gypsy moth which has the potential to become a “dominant biological force” in the state. As the video said, “It’s not just another insect.”
The gypsy moth was first brought to America by the French (insert your favorite quasi-patriotic-France-bashing-joke here) in 1882. The idea was to crossbreed it with the silk worm – a Frankenstein-ish idea of the nature that would latter spawn the creation of killer bees. They escaped the factory and began their steady travel Southwest across the country.
Gypsy moths primarily target hardwood trees. It’s not that they destroy everything in sight – say like locusts or accident-prone teenagers – they just “alter the wildlife composition” by removing certain species of trees and allowing other kinds to thrive.
The idea is that when more oaks are removed from the equation, more cedars will pop up to take their place. Their pace has been slow, advancing only a handful of miles a year it took over a century for the frontline of moths to reach Chicago, it is projected they will reach Missouri in a few more decades.
This has the potentiality to impact Missouri in several ways:
As the environment changes, an area’s dominant animals may change along with the alterations in habitat.
The video warned, ”The gypsy moth is no friend of the tourist industry.” People who travel to places like Branson or the Lake of the Ozarks to witness our pristine beauty may be put off by the trees stripped of leaves and mounds of moth droppings.
That same “fecal matter” can also impact water quality and may finder local fish populations or even local town’s water supplies.
Also, Missouri’s lumber industry, which is a multi-billion dollar industry (and we only have so many of those) is primarily dependent on hardwoods. The state’s wood supply is also the of the “highest susceptibility to oak” compared to other states not yet “plagued by the cursed moths.
Granted, the main line of moths won’t come to Missouri any time soon. The earliest prediction is 2015, though it could be as late as 2030.
I’m merely part of the “monitoring” program that is a smaller part of the long-term plan. The Department of Conservation works with the USDA, the Missouri Department of Agriculture, the National Guard, and the Department of Defense to participate in a “statewide detection survey” by setting traps throughout the state (the DOD traps around Whiteman Air Force Base. It seems they don’t like the idea of civilians lolly-gagging around the stealth bombers).
Our job is to “prevent the premature arrival” of the moths through spot population appearances. This occurs thanks to egg masses being transported from “infested areas” to “uninfected areas” and later hatching to bring gypsy moths to the state before the front line.
We “slow the spread” by putting up red boxes with glue and a pheromone strip on the inside. The scent of a female moth in heat is to draw in the unsuspecting male (insert mindless-male-joke here)
Over the years, the number of moths discovered has lessened. Two years ago only 6 were found in the entire state. Last year, only four were trapped, but they were in the St. Louis area, so our section has to be especially vigilant.
“Nature will find a balance,” the video said in wrap-up. The moths’ movement is unstoppable, but man is hoping to shape that future regardless of the wild’s intent. We’re fighting an unwinable war in the struggle to preserve a little precious portion of our lives. The odds are against us, but we still forage ahead to face our foe, and hopefully, make the world a better place.
If you think about it, it sounds like the plot of a Schwarzenegger movie.
Not too bad for a guy who’s going after moths.
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