Green Insect Traps Around Austin

Have you been seeing green insect monitoring traps around town?  If so, you're not the only one.  I've been getting numerous calls/ emails asking what I'm up to and the answer is...nothing.  The monitoring traps are actually from the Texas Department of Agriculture's Pest Survey Program.  They are monitoring for gypsy moth.

In 2005, a single male Asian gypsy moth was found in Travis County near US HWY 290 in southwest Austin.  A management plan was created and carried out to handle the threat this pest caused.  Since then, every other year the Texas Department of Agriculture monitors for gypsy moth.  TDA places 1,000 traps at various locations throughout Travis County and monitors them from May through September.  So far, no further moths have been recovered since 2005.

The current round of monitoring will carry on through September and traps will be taken down starting in October.  Since there are 1,000 traps that need to be taken down, it may take some time.  For more information, contact the Texas Department of Agriculture's Pest Survey Department at 512-463-7619.