Gypsy Moth

Spray Date

The second and final spray date has been set for Tuesday, June 1 and Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Any changes to the date will be posted on this page and through the City's social media.

City staff will be stopping traffic on roads nearest the park while the helicopter is spraying. The road closure will take 15 minutes or less.

As part of its Integrated Pest Management program, the City of Burlington will be using a low-flying helicopter to aerial spray a bio-pesticide over four wooded areas to help control gypsy moth populations. The gypsy moths eat the leaves of trees, causing significant defoliation and potential long-term impact to the City’s urban forest.

The areas identified for spraying include:

The first application was successfully completed on May 25. The second and final spray date has been set for Tuesday, June 1 and Wednesday, June 2, 2021. The exact dates and time for the aerial spray are dependent on weather conditions, as well as the development of the insect.

Spray dates will be posted on the City’s Twitter and Facebook accounts @CityBurlington and on this page at least 48-hours before the spraying.

Please subscribe to the webpage for updates.

Interactive Spray Area Map

Use this map to see the spray areas. You can also enter an address to see where you are in relation to the parks.

Official Notice of Pesticide Use (PDF)

Individual Maps of Spray Areas

Gypsy Moth Spraying Map of Kilbride Park

Gypsy Moth Spraying Map of Lasalle Park

Gypsy Moth Spraying Map of City View Park

Gypsy Moth Spraying Map of Zimmerman Park

What is Gypsy Moth?

European Gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is an introduced pest that impacts trees when larvae emerge in spring and the caterpillars feed on leaves causing defoliation. Oaks are the preferred host species of tree.

As part of Burlington's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, Forestry staff assess sites annually across the city and conduct egg mass surveys to determine areas where natural processes can no longer keep pest population levels down on their own. Although healthy trees can generally withstand repeated defoliation, trees which are already in distress from problems such as acute drought, compacted soils, diseases or other pests may die. Generally, healthy trees which are defoliated in spring, will leaf out again by fall. Gypsy moth populations tend to be cyclical, with peaks every 8-12 years, followed by dramatic population decline of the pest

Treatments are only used when populations exceed accepted thresholds. Treatment of the insect populations below threshold levels. The treatment option commonly used is BtK (Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki), a bacterium found naturally in soils. BtK works only against larva of the target species of insect; it does not affect plants, animals or people. BtK is one of the few organic treatments acceptable to organic growers as it is a naturally occurring biological organism.

How to Create a Sticky Band

Wrap a 10 to 15 cm wide strip of insulation or cotton batting around the trunk of the tree you are going to be banding, about 1.5 m (five feet) off the ground
Cover the insulation or cotton with plastic wrap or a garbage bag. Allow several inches of plastic above and below the insulation
Tape the plastic to the tree with duct tape or packing tape. Please do not use nails or staples to attach the plastic to the tree as this will injure the tree
Spread a layer of a sticky substance, such as Tanglefoot^TM or similar product as directed, on the plastic. This will make the gypsy moth caterpillars stick to the band
Inspect the sticky material regularly and remove leaves and other debris and reapply sticky material if required
Bands should be removed by late spring and reapplied in the fall. It is important to remove the bands to prevent damage or discoloration of the bark

Who to Contact

For questions or concerns, please contact to Kyle McLoughlin, Supervisor of Forest Planning & Health at kyle.mcloughlin@burlington.ca or 905-333-6166, ext. 6145.