Damage statewide was down dramatically in 2016, but New Jersey isn't letting up on control programs.
It was a down year for defoliation, but that doesn't mean the state is letting up on gypsy moth caterpillars.
Warren County is among the five New Jersey counties the state Department of Agriculture is targeting for aerial spraying to further reduce the forest-eating pests, according to a news release. The others are Sussex, Morris, Passaic and Ocean.
For Warren County in 2017, the state proposes spraying in Liberty, Lopatcong and White townships, based on surveys of gypsy moth egg masses. The department said participation is voluntary, and towns that agree will be sprayed in May and June.
The spray is Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, a species of bacteria that makes proteins fatal to the gypsy moth caterpillar when ingested. The proteins are not toxic to humans or other mammals, according to the National Pesticide Information Center.
Last year, Warren was the state's second-most damaged county by the gypsy moth caterpillars -- the 4,185 defoliated acres were second to Sussex County's 4,841. Statewide in 2016, about 13,500 acres saw damage from the caterpillars, the department reported.
That's a steep drop from 2015, when almost 300,000 New Jersey acres saw some amount of damage, according to department data. The change is credited to an "aggressive spray program" and a fungus that reduced the moth population.
According to Penn State's entomology department, a normal gypsy moth outbreak follows a cycle: It starts with two years of light infestation with minimal defoliation followed by two years of more severe defoliation, then a population collapse. Less severe infestations may flare up afterward.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.