The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) will be setting over 9,000 traps for spongy moth (Lymantria dispar) in 2024. The traps will be placed in 44 counties in western and central Wisconsin. Traps began being placed in mid-May and will continue to be placed through early July. DATCP requests that property owners allow trapping staff to place traps on their land and to not disturb the traps once in place.
“Traps are used to monitor spongy moth presence and identify new populations in areas that were previously uninfested,” says Amanda Miller, DATCP Spongy Moth Trapping Coordinator. “Spongy moth populations reached record levels in eastern Wisconsin last year, so increased detections of new populations are more likely. The data collected from these traps will help program managers to safely and efficiently limit population spread before infestations become large enough to cause damage to trees.”
