The Minnesota Department of Agriculture said spraying for gypsy moths will take place next week, weather permitting, on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation in Cook County.
Almost 5,000 acres will be sprayed with a pesticide to kill moth caterpillars. Another almost 80,000 acres will be sprayed in Cook and Lake counties later this summer with a synthetic phero-mone that mimics and confuses male moths so they can't reproduce.
The North Shore is the first major outbreak of gypsy moths in northern Minnesota and state and federal agencies have moved in the past few years to eradicate the outbreak which officials say likely was moved into the area hitchhiking on tourists' vehicles. The invasive moth has caused widespread damage to eastern U.S. forests for decades but hasn't overtaken Minnesota yet.
