Monitor Gypsy Moth Populations for Slow the Spread Program

For the 2016 program, the surveyors will be trapping in forty-three (43) quadrangles, which will take in all or part of an eight (8) county area. The eight counties include: Boyd, Floyd, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Letcher, Martin, and Pike. All counties will be trapped using a 3 kilometer trapping grid with 5 delimiting areas. Kentucky will be using the tablet for the STS survey following the STS protocols for entering the data. The tablet will be the data collection device and a tablet will be issued to the surveyor if the other should fail. The STS Foundation has established the procedures for data collection using the tablett PC 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 tablet 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.