West Point Battles Invasive Spongy Moth Invasion By Helicopter

Spongy Moths Return to the Hudson Valley

They're back...unfortunately.

While the Hudson Valley prepared for the warmer weather, we thought we would be safe from the nuances known as the Spongy Moth.

The Spongy Moth, is a destructive, invasive insect that poses a danger to North America's forest according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

They're also, in layman's terms, annoying and have a tendency to bite leaving behind itchy bug bites on humans.

West Point Battles Spongy Moth By Air

On the evening of Monday, May 12th and the morning of Tuesday May 13th, helicopters took to the sky to help fight away the invasive spongy moth.

The official Facebook page for the U.S. Army Garrison at West Point explained that the West Point DPW would be conducting an "aerial spraying."

Further they explain that the spongy moths will "eat leaves coated with Btk, a naturally occurring bacteria that disrupts their feeding and leads to their deaths." However, there is a chance that spongy moth damage will still occur but they hope these "efforts will significantly reduce tree loss" in the forest and woods surrounding our communities.

What Kind of Damage Does the Spongy Moth Cause

According to the DEC thousands of acres of trees can be damaged due to the spongy moth. However, with that being said they don't believe they "pose a major threat to New York's forests overall."

The damage they cause ranges from reducing a trees over health and resistance, tree death, and they add:

When populations are very high, or when oak and other preferred trees are limited, spongy moth will eat evergreen species including pine, spruce, and hemlock. Evergreens do not regrow leaves as easily as deciduous trees and can die as a result of complete defoliation.

Learn more about Spongy Moth and how to get rid of them on the DEC website.

Are These 12 Bugs That We See In Spring Dangerous?

Gallery Credit: Brett Alan

These 10 Bugs Found In New York Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine

New York's 5 Worst Cities For Beg Bugs Most Nation's Most Infested

The pest control experts at Pest Gnome ranked the nation's worst cities for bed bug infestations. They scored the 500 biggest cities in the US based on bed bug infestation risk, availability of exterminators, and urban density. Here are the 5 worst in New York State, along with the nationwide ranking for each. All landed in the worst 100 across the US.

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff