DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A GYPSY MOTH INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

The current approach to gypsy moth management in the United States involves applying insecticides to eliminate isolated infestations, and to suppress populations in areas of regulatory concern or where socioeconomic impacts are pro- jected to occur. An alternative approach, integrated pest management, is being implemented over a wide range of ecological, geographic, and land-use areas within a three- county area in Maryland to evaluate the feasibility of managing gypsy moth populations at low levels. This project is structured around a comprehensive biological monitoring system that pro- vides an annual data base on the distribution, density, and trend of gypsy moth populations. This information, in conjunc- tion with ancillary data for landscape features (e.g., soil type, vegetation cover type, and land use) and stand susceptibility to defoliation rating, provides guidelines for prescribing an ar- ray of intervention activities. This program also supports ongo- ing cooperative studies in data-base management, refinement of sampling methods, and evaluation of intervention activities. The decade of the 1970's was characterized by a significant increase in funding for research and development on the gypsy moth. The reason for this was the tremendous increase in moth populations and associated impacts that began in 1969 and continued through the decade. The need to develop an integrated pest management (IPM) approach to the problem was recognized early in the planning stages and remained a central theme throughout the period of accelerated research and development. During this time, multidisciplinary research and development pro- grams were initiated against the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Douglas-fir tussock moth (Orgyia pseudotsugata), Dendroctonus spp. bark beetles, and spruce budworms (Choristoneura spp.) (9, 28). These programs differed from those in agriculture in that primary emphasis was placed on the insect rather than on the crop. A generaliz- ed system structure was used in developing an IPM system for all of the aforementioned forest in- sects except the gypsy moth (27). Computer- based models were developed for stand dynamics, pest population dynamics, socioeconomic impacts, and resultant intervention activities.