Plant Industry - Spongy Moth Regulatory Program
Spongy Moth Regulatory Program
The Regulatory Program addresses the human dimension of the spongy moth problem. Without humans, spongy moths are capable of only short movement because the female moth does not fly. However, gypsy moth females will lay their eggs on almost anything, from car wheels to firewood to yard furniture and play equipment. When people transport articles with gypsy moth lifestages on them, new infestations may appear far away, at the peoples’ destination.
As the spongy moth becomes established in a new area, that location is placed under quarantine in an effort to reduce the potential spread of this destructive pest. Under a quarantine, movement of articles that are at a high risk of harboring gypsy moth, such as logs, firewood, RVs, mobile homes, and Christmas trees, are regulated. In order to ship outside of a quarantined area, regulated articles must be inspected or treatments may need to be applied to ensure articles are free of the spongy moth.
In North Carolina, all of Currituck and a portion of Dare counties are currently under quarantine for the spongy moth. However, no new North Carolina gypsy moth quarantines have been added since 1989 (when these counties were quarantined) largely due to the aggressive trapping and treatment programs implemented by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS).
For more information on the Regulatory Program, please view this USDA spongy moth publication