Spongy moth caterpillars are crawling — or falling — back into Park Ridge this summer, and the city is preparing to counter the hordes with two rounds of targeted spraying in an attempt to prevent them from converging on homes and porches and threatening the city’s oak trees, as they did last summer.
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City Forester Brandon Naser told aldermen at an April 17 Committee of the Whole meeting that the city would apply two rounds of aerial spray via helicopter in two targeted areas to counteract infestations of the caterpillars, which last summer piled up on decks and sidewalks near the Southwest Woods.
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Spongy moths are an invasive species with a particular predilection for oak trees, according to a memo from Naser to council members. Eggs hatch in mid-May and moths spend seven to 10 weeks in the caterpillar stage, the memo states.
Prior reporting on the issue of spongy moths in Park Ridge quotes residents who found the insect onslaught alarming as well as a nuisance, and aldermen appeared to concur — toward the end of the Committee of the Whole meeting, 4th Ward Ald. Harmony Harrington jokingly predicted that council members would all have “spongy moth nightmares” that night.
The caterpillars are up to two inches long and are covered with tiny hairs, or “setae,” which can cause a mild skin rash in some people upon contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In addition to being off-putting, however, the moths present a serious threat to trees by feeding on the leaves. This is known as defoliation, and it can be a hazard to trees already under stress.
“A single caterpillar can consume 11 square feet of vegetation during its lifetime which can greatly impact the health of our urban forest,” Naser’s memo states.
The city will treat two areas: 30 acres bounded by Lincoln and Devon Avenues to the west of the Southwest Woods and 26 acres bounded by Devon, Hamlin and Rose Avenues to the north of the Southwest Woods, according to a map presented to aldermen.
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The treatments will take place about a week apart during May and June, Naser said, and residents of the affected areas would be notified via mail about the spray. Children should not play with or otherwise handle the caterpillars, city information for residents states.
The spray the city will use, known as Btk, is not harmful to people who come into contact with or ingest it, city communication states.