The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ay 12 ,2 02 2 | 18 for new or existing cabinets. Design & Install - Lifetime Warranty - Custom to the Millimetre 289-812-8952 The Town of Oakville is taking action to control spongy moths (also known as Lymantria dispar dispar or LDD moth) and here are 10 things residents need to know about the planned aerial spray- ing. • In mid-May or early June, the town will be conducting an aerial spray of 33 town woodlands to control the spongy moth infesta- tion. • Town staff noted that based on population surveys conducted in 2021, Oakville faces extreme levels of infestation this year that could affect 358 hectares of town woodlands and result in a signif- icant loss of trees if no action is taken. • The spongy moth is a non-na- tive insect that is considered a ma- jor destructive pest in North America. Town staff said these in- sects are a concern because the larvae (or caterpillar stage) can devastate trees and forests by quickly eating large amounts of leaves. When leaves are lost in successive years, trees can die. • The spraying will be per- formed by a low-flying helicopter between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. Two treatments will be necessary within a few days of each other. Additional ground spraying may occur during the same period to target town trees adjacent to woodlands that have been identi- fied as high-risk for spongy moth presence. • Aerial spray dates are highly dependent on weather conditions. Once dates are confirmed, they will be posted on oakville.ca and the town's Facebook and Twitter accounts. Residents who live near any of the town woodlands that will be treated can sign up on oak- ville.ca to receive 48-hour email notification of the spray. • The designated woodlands and trails will be closed temporar- ily during the spray and reopened immediately after. The aerial spraying will not take place over town streets or residential prop- erties. • Town staff said no special pre- cautions are required for resi- dents near the spray areas. Resi- dents may wish to alter their early morning plans, such as running or dog walking, on spray days; or, if preferred, remain indoors and close windows during the spray- ing. There may be some tempo- rary noise from the low-flying he- licopter. • Town staff said municipali- ties have successfully conducted aerial spray programs using the naturally occurring insecticide, Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) for decades. • Town staff said Btk has no negative environmental or hu- man health effects. The bacteria occurs naturally in soil and is poi- sonous only to a certain group of insects when ingested during their larvae or caterpillar stage. It does not affect adult moths or but- terflies or other beneficial insects such as honeybees, or pets, birds, fish, or mammals. • For more information, visit https://www.oakville.ca/resi- dents/ldd-moth.html. For any questions contact ServiceOak- ville at 905-845-6601 or ser- vice@oavkille.ca. 10 THINGS ABOUT AERIAL SPRAYING TO CONTROL SPONGY MOTHS NEWS The Town of Oakville will be conducting an aerial spray of town woodlands to control the spongy moth infestation. Chris Simon/Metroland