What's next in the fight against invasive gypsy moths in St. Clair County?

St. Clair County leaders are looking for solutions to their gypsy moth problem after residents flooded their offices this month will calls about the hordes of caterpillars eating the foliage of leafy trees.

The Friends of the St. Clair River initiated talks with Michigan State University Extension and local county and township officials earlier this week to address possible next steps.

Experts said it’s too late to spray pesticide this season for the invasive gypsy moth, whose presence has been reportedly high  over the past several weeks. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the now-large caterpillars are nearing their cocoon stage.

That means officials are turning their attention to next year and options they might have to address the concern before a potential return of the moths next spring.

Kirsten Lyons, stewardship director for Friends of the St. Clair River, said the collaborative group's major goals in the coming weeks include establishing centralized data collection of what areas were affected by the moths, as well as conducting site surveys and continuing communication among officials.

“We think we need to do fall egg mass surveys, so we know what density we have, where they are,” Lyons said. "They’re called gypsy moths because they move, so they’re not going to be exactly in the same place that they are right now."

What could these mitigation plans look like?

Moth eggs generally hatch between early and mid-May for most of lower Michigan, according to MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and larvae and caterpillars will continue to feed on tree foliage for six to eight weeks. 

Because of the moths' lifecycle, officials will have to decide on next year’s mitigation measures  by late this summer, said Jerry Johnson, district director for MSU Extension's Thumb region.

“I think we are going to do something, but there’s an evaluation step coming up,” he said.

Lyons said the county needs to develop a treatment plan based on egg mass surveys.

Previously, St. Clair County Board Chairman Jeff Bohm said the county could look to link up with Macomb County, which has addressed a gypsy moth infestation of its own.

“And if we’re going to do a cooperative aerial suppression, we’re going to need some GIS mapping. We think our county planning commission can help us with that,” Lyons said, referring to flyover spraying to kill moth eggs before they hatch. “And most of the spring field activities will revolve around treatment — if that’s the direction we go.”

On Thursday, County Commissioner Jorja Baldwin said she was working to set up a central email address to take questions from residents and begin a count of those affected. She hoped to see something open by the end of next week, she said, "so we've got one clearing house."

In the meantime, Baldwin said residents could contact her at jbaldwin@stclaircounty.org.

Figuring out where gypsy moths will be

Some local government officials were more familiar with the gypsy moth problem than others.

Columbus Township Supervisor Bruce Christy said he got a lot of phone calls but was still learning what came next.

“We haven’t been taking anybody’s information down because I didn’t know what we were going to do about this,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard of this issue.”

In Clyde Township, Supervisor Ernie Manoleas said he’s been aware of the gypsy moth issue for decades. 

Manoleas said they began getting calls three weeks ago and have potential plans to organize a community-wide spray next year.

Multiple officials said they had concerns with how much such a community spray would cost.

Extension experts said gypsy moths have been an issue statewide since the 1990s. Communities and counties have varied on how they pay for solutions like spring spraying. Some have long-established millages and special assessments, while others use general funds.

“One of the firms will not spray within 600 feet of a resident that ops out. So, remember, this is a volunteer program that is utilizing a spray system. Not everybody wants to be in this system," Clyde Township's Manoleas said. “… Those who want to do it will contact us. At this point, the pay will come from the individual residents.”

Wales Township Supervisor Liz Masters said she worries about putting the costs entirely on residents, and that she hoped there’d be some county or state support moving forward.

She was also concerned about the impact of long-term tree defoliation on property values. “You really can’t put a price on mature tree cover on 20 acres, 30 acres, what have you," Masters said. "So, it definitely worries me that we (could be) in only year three of five.”

Terry Gibb, a senior extension educator in Macomb County, agreed getting a good idea of where populations of gypsy moths will be is important because communitywide spraying may not be necessary.

“Last year, it was about $165 an acre. This year, it was $140,” Gibb said of Macomb County. “And we had under 1,700 acres that were sprayed because Macomb County, probably like a lot of you will, you’ll have hotspots.”

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.