Monitor Gypsy Moth Populations for Gypsy Moth Slow the Spread Program

Kentucky will be participating in the Slow the Spread (STS) program during 2018 and the program shall be administered through the Office of State Entomologist in the Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky. Personnel involved with the program are Carl Harper, program manager, JD Loan, supervisor, and up to two surveyors. Other resources available to assist with the program are Joe Collins, Senior Nursery Inspector, and Janet Lensing, State Survey Coordinator. For the 2018 program, the surveyors will be trapping in forty-four (44) quadrangles, which will take in all or part of a nine (9) county area. The nine counties include: Boyd, Floyd, Greenup, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Martin, and Pike. All counties will be trapped using a 3 kilometer trapping grid with 3 delimiting areas. The eastern portion of Pike county will have traps placed on a 2 kilometer trapping grid due to the proximity of the established finds of gypsy moths in the neighboring state. Kentucky will be using smart devices (smart phones, tablets, related technologies) to run the G3 software for the STS survey following the STS protocols for entering the data. The smart device will be the data collection device. The STS Foundation has established the procedures for data collection using the G3 software and will provide training and manuals. For data collection, this would include: Quad Code, Trap ID, Omit Reasons, Trap Condition, Moth Catch, Pass or Fail, and Failure Reasons. These codes will be used at the proper time during the trapping season. For each site, a paper record will be filled out (including Quad Code, Trap ID, Omit Reasons, Trap Condition, Moth Catch, Pass or Fail, Failure Reasons, and a general location of the trap placed) as a backup to the smart device collected data, with the UTM coordinates and the same information as placement, inspection, and quality control visits. Surveyors will be provided with a tablet and all supplies need to do the survey properly. They must provide their own stapler, hammer, and vehicle. We will be using the STS trapping protocol for the trapping season. Surveyors will get as close to the predetermined site as possible. If a suspect moth is captured then the surveyor will mail/deliver it for verification to the designated identifier as set forth in our training meeting. If the moth is positive, then the surveyor will go to the area and, depending on the time of the season, place "delimiting" traps in the area to see if there are any more moths in that location.