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Have you scheduled for the spraying of trees near you?
"We are now in an extended period of high Buck Moth activity" according to Michael Carroll, Director of the New Orleans Mosquito & Termite Control Board. "The caterpillars will go through five larval instars and become a stinging problem around the third instar."
Parkway Partners, in conjunction with the city's parkways department, will begin spraying trees for the smaller caterpillars before they molt into the stinging form of the caterpillar. The flurry of activity when the caterpillars reach the stinging stage causes a backlog. It is advisable to sign up for spraying early as technicians will address trees in the order received. Spraying can only take place once the caterpillars have hatched.
As the live oaks shed their leaves in March, the freshly hatched caterpillars feed off the tender new leaves. This destruction of the new leaf foliage stresses the trees. The caterpillars have no known predators in our environment as they are native to the orient.
Continued and coordinated spraying in certain areas, such as St. Charles Avenue, has resulted in far fewer buck moths flying this past fall. We expect that this will translate into fewer caterpillars hatching through March. However, in certain neighborhoods, such as Algiers, there were large numbers of moths flying.
A Buck Moth caterpillar sting is very painful for both humans and animals and causes inflammation that can last for several days. To treat the stings, scrape the stingers with a credit card, then stick adhesive tape on the sting, pulling it off repeatedly.
Need a happy thought? There is a single generation per year.
For more information and signup, go to our website at www.parkwaypartnersnola.org or call Burdette, 620-2224.
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