The Observation Deck

Hi Everyone,

Last year one of our neighbors had gypsy moths in their oak tree. They contacted the City of Lakewood. And they came and spayed the tree. The owners believe that the City of Lakewood sprayed too late because as of today, my whole street is infested with gypsy moth caterpillars.

One reason for my concern is that the gypsy moths can kill a tree in just 2 years. They can take all the leaves off of your trees before you know it. And then when they are done with your trees they will go for your bushes.

My two front oak tree are infested. I have photographed the caterpillars for you to examine your trees. The caterpillars live in the ground all day and come out at night and climb up your tree and eat your leaves. On a cloudy day like this morning they will on the tree trunks and even on the side walk.

Look for leaves that been chewed on under your tree. Look for little brown dots on your sidewalk that you usually see in the fall not the summer (see my photo blog). We believe that this is the Caterpillar feces.

I need your help! We have contacted the City of Lakewood and our Council representatives. We really need a plan to attack this problem while it is in the Caterpillar stage. It will become worse if it is allowed to become a moth and have eggs. If you don't have it now you will have!!

There is a State program that will help us..but we need to have a certain percentage of the city infested. Please check your trees. If you have any indication that you have infested trees, please respond on this website so we can have the proper City of Lakewood department inspect your trees and maybe our City officials will nip this infestation in the bud.

One of our Moses Cleveland trees is now infested. This does not bode well for the City of Trees. We need to do something now. Please look at your tree!

For more information see my blog:http://lakewoodobserver.com/members/main.php?which=preview_pg&pg_id=754

Rhonda Loje

Rhonda,

I can't access your pictures. Can you repost?

I think this needs wide circulation and feel Lakewood needs to be aggressive about tree preservation. Thanks for the warning.

Kate,
Thank you for your interest. I think it is important too! If we don't do something soon...we may lose all of our trees.

Try this website: http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... ypsy-moths

Thanks,
Rhonda

Here is a better picture taken by Bill Davis:

http://lakewoodobserver.com/photoblogs/ ... sy-moths/5

Hi Everyone,
Just to keep you informed on our progress about the Gypsy Moth Situation.

Our neighborhood has called and my husband has made a trip to City Hall to talk to Mr. Madison (in charge of streets and foresty) and Mr. Beno ( who is charge of Public Works) we have had no response from the city.

As of noon today...I have call again to both parties and have left a message for the first time with the Mayor.

I will keep you all posted on the responses and the response time from the City of Lakewood.

In the meantime, check your trees!

And call your Council person: Ed Fitzgerald, Nicki Antonio and Kevin Bulter
maybe with their help we can some response from the City.

Rhonda Loje

I found this at Ohio Department of Aug. Thought you like to have the
information.



Adverse Effects of Defoliation and Mortality

On People:

* Loss of shade, causing increased heating and cooling cost.
* Decrease property value due to loss of aesthetics.
* Safety hazard due to dead trees and the expense of tree removal.
* Skin rashes or irritations, development of allergies in sensitive
individuals because of contact with the pest.
* Caterpillars and their frass (droppings) staining homes and
sidewalks.

On Environment:

* Decline in tree health.
* Increase tree mortality.
* Increase in fire danger.
* Increase in stream temperatures.
* Decrease in aquatic life.
* Reduction in food supply for small animals (nuts).
* Decrease in population of small animals (squirrels).
* Reduction in food supply for some song birds.
* Increase in nest predation of song birds due to lack of cover.
* Increase in nesting failures of grouse and turkeys.
* Migration of turkey and deer to non defoliated areas.

Are you advocating spraying chemicals throughout the city, because if so I have a problem with that The city already sprays for mosquitoes and I have to cover my gardens when this happens. Also, coming down the street and spraying in the front yard only lets loose enough chemicals in the backyard to be dangerous to your health, bugs that live in the ground in the backyard are not effected. If this is a serious problem, hopefully the city can be creative and come up with an ecologically sound solution but I won't hold my breath.

then stay inside when they spray because these moths will ruin your gardens either way.

hey that rhymed

So Ivor how long do I stay inside, and what about my 2 month old baby ? And what about my herbs and vegetables, should I bring them inside ? I am only asking for the city to look at ecological solutions because the Cuyahoga Health Department is on record that front yard spraying does not kill bugs in the backyard.

Actually, the best way that they have found to treat it in the caterpillar stage is inject the tree and then it takes whatever it is to the leaves. The caterpillars eat the leaves and drop dead.

It has worked on one tree in the neighborhood as a test. And it worked..thousands of caterpillars dropped from the tree in 24 hours. You just have to time it right when they are in the caterpillar stage.

We a now coming to the end of the caterpillar stage. They are now starting in to the stage where they make little sacks and then become moths. Then they lay eggs and next year they will be in your neighborhood.

That is about all I know.

Rhonda Loje

My iniitial concern was if it involves spraying - if it is indivually injecting each tree then I am OK with that. I just don't see this administration doing something like this

The gypsy moth has been around a long time and is a problem for sure. But if you want to worry about another pest killing a lot of our trees, google the Emerald Ash Borer.

These little guys (something we can thank on importing from Asia) are doing a lot of damage. There isn't a way to really control them last I read and they are moving fast. They've even been found on the East Coast in Maple trees.

There's a lot of Ash around here. Look for D shaped holes about 5 to 6 feet off the ground.

This little bug has caused a glut of Ash hardwood on the market which caused the price to drop. There was a time just a couple years ago, mills couldn't give Ash away. Sawyers were cutting down a lot of Ash trees and there was too much of it as a result. If you like furniture made of Ash you're lucky - it's cheap. Milled Ash is very similar in looks to Oak. It does not contain the ray flecks though. People are often sold items made of 'oak' that are actually cheaper ash.

http://www.emeraldashborer.info/

Probably more than anybody wanted to know...

Hi Everyone,
I have heard back from the City of Lakewood about our Gypsy Moth problem.

I heard from Mr. Tony Beno (Public Works) on Saturday and Bernie Madison (forestry and streets)
today.

In talking with Mr. Madison this morning he has two calls into the company he used to spray and
the company he used to inject. I relayed the information on how well the
application (by injection) worked. He is going to call to get information on how fast this application worked.

I conveyed to him that we have found evidence that they are now moving into the sack stage. They are now making sacks on neighborhood homes.

We need your help! Bernie Madison has limited manpower and would like us all to pass the word to
all of our neighbors. Check your trees and your houses for any evidence of the gypsy moth in
caterpillar or sack form. If you find any evidence please call Bernie Madison at 529-6812. If
you have any elderly neighbors please check their trees and call the information into Bernie
Madison for them.

We have also confirmed that the moths have been spotted on Edgewater and Kirthland. So if you
know anyone in that area please forward this email to them and have them check their trees and
call Bernie Madison.

For a picture of this bug, check my photoblog. It hides in between the folds of the bark of the
tree. If your sidewalks are brown with small dots (that is the feces from the caterpillar) you
have them.

We have to work quickly before these caterpillars change into the sack stage. Please call Bernie
Madison at 529-6812.

Rhonda Loje