Slow the Spread Trapping & Treatment Program: Spongy Moth

Kentucky will be participating in the Slow the Spread (STS) program during 2023 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 2023 program, the surveyors will be trapping in forty-one (41) quadrangles, which will take in all or part of a nine (9) county area. The eight 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 mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, related technologies) to run the ESRI Field Maps app for the STS survey following the STS protocols for entering the data. The mobile device will be the data collection device. The STS Foundation has established the procedures for data collection using the ESRI Field Maps app 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 provide or be provided with a tablet and our office will provide 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. The Kentucky Slow the Spread Program will have a supervisor. The supervisor''s duties will include trap placement (if necessary) and regular checks to make sure that the other surveyors are placing their traps properly and keeping accurate records. The supervisor will be the liaison between the trapper and the manager of the program, fielding questions and performing the tasks necessary for the surveyor to do their job properly. The supervisor will review and check for errors trapping data uploaded to Virginia Tech for processing through their data server. They will be uploading a minimum of once per week, the trap placement, or a check on that trap during the season. Surveyors may be checking each other as part of the quality control to see that all are doing the job properly. Someone from the Office of State Entomologist, for quality control, will also monitor them periodically during the season. Personnel from the Office of the State Entomologist will oversee processing data, printing maps, checking for errors, ensuring each trap site was addressed (whether omitted and why, or placed), ensuring that each GPS location corresponds with the predetermined site, and do quality control checks if necessary. All surveyors are required to attend the training meeting prior to the trapping season. The training will include but not be limited to proper trap making, trap sites, trap placement, use of the ESRI Field Maps app, proper data entry, data submission verification, and upload/download procedure(s). They will also be given proper safety measures to help minimize or eliminate the risk of an accident. They will also receive training for proper record keeping and sending in proper paperwork for getting paid. The data will be sent to Virginia Tech so that it can be run through their validation process and then placed on the STS website (www.slowthespread.org). The Office of State Entomologist will be the contact point if there are any problems that arise during the survey. We will also oversee printing maps and other information that will be useful in allowing the surveyor to navigate to the proper location.