Budget Panel Oks Gypsy Moth Spray Bill

Lawmakers gave their after-the-fact approval Monday to spraying for gypsy moths near Post Falls.

Idaho’s Lands Department used aerial spraying of an organic compound to kill gypsy moths in a 35-acre area along the Spokane River, after it discovered that the crop-destroying bugs had arrived in North Idaho from New York last spring as stowaways in an ornamental birdhouse.

Although the state spends $45,000 a year to monitor for gypsy moth infestations, it doesn’t set aside funds for suppression efforts until an outbreak occurs.

The Legislature’s budget committee gave its unanimous approval Monday to paying the $17,500 bill for last spring’s outbreak.

In addition to the state, the Forest Service and Department of Agriculture help monitor for gypsy moths, said legislative budget analyst Ray Houston, “particularly in those parts of the state where people arrive from other parts of the country and they carry the larvae on their vehicles, or, in this case, ornamental birdhouses.”