Spongy (Gypsy) Moth
2024 Spray Program - Update as of May 15, 2024
Spongy Moth Spray Services are scheduled for Thursday May 16th in the morning. There will be two helicopters in Ada spraying the properties identified as part of the recommended spray area. For that information, please scroll further down the page for a listing of parcels and the map.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
2024 Spray Program - Update as of May 13, 2024
Updated from Aquatic Consulting Services - We were in Ada on Friday May 10th looking at caterpillar and leaf development. The cooler weather and rain the past few days have slowed things down somewhat, as expected. Looking at the weather next week, Monday’s forecast for a high chance of rain. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday look promising (as of today). We will be monitoring the spray markers over the weekend and will send an update Monday afternoon on which day looks the best. As always, this is all weather dependent and could change over the next few days.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
2024 Spray Program - Update as of May 7, 2024
As usual, spongy moths are keeping us on our toes... The various markers we look for to indicate a spray window have progressed both quickly and slowly this season, often in opposition to each other. Predicting and establishing a spongy moth spray window is always challenging, but this season has been especially difficult. We saw first hatch in mid-April (about 2-weeks early on average) but didn't see peak hatch until almost 2 weeks later (very abnormal). Tree leaf development has been opposite, 1.5 weeks ago we were just seeing bud-break in white oaks, and now we are nearing 20% leaf area in many trees. This isn't surprising given the very mild winter, warm spring, and early hatch, but makes it tough to establish a spray window.
What we are contending with right now is that, since we had an extremely spread-out hatch, the early hatchers are already beginning to feed, while the caterpillars hatched in late-April are just leaving their egg masses. Further, oak tree canopy is developing quickly, so we don't want to miss our window. We also don't want to spray before late-hatching caterpillars have begun to feed.
All factors considered, we're now tentatively planning on beginning spray May 13th and 14th. As of this morning, Friday's weather forecast is not ideal as winds are predicted early in the day. We will keep a close eye on the forecast and are prepared to spray Friday if conditions are acceptable. If not, a cool-down and rain are expected for the next few days. This should slow down both caterpillar and leaf development somewhat and allow us to push the spray out to early next week. Also, this will provide everyone more time to prepare.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
2024 Spray Program - Update as of May 6, 2024
Aquatic Consulting Services completed a visit to Ada today and said the caterpillars have left the egg masses are starting to make their way to the leaves. Leaf area is about 15-20% on white oaks, we should reach target leaf area this week. Looking at the weather, this Wednesday 5/8 or Friday 5/10 look like the best options. Additional information will be posted Tuesday 5/7.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
2024 Spray Program - Update as of April 30, 2024
Aquatic Consulting Services has indicated they are seeing peak hatch in Ada as of today. Right now, they are targeting the week of May 13th for the ideal spray window, weather dependent. Tree leaf development will likely be the determining factor, so we will be monitoring that over the next two weeks.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
2024 Spray Program - Update as of April 9, 2024
Click Here for a letter dated April 9, 2024, sent to residents whose property will be sprayed based on the recommended spray program. This letter provides details related to spraying activities for 2024.
Click Here for a full listing of all the parcels to be sprayed by address.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
Spongy Moths – What is the Plan for 2024?
At its January 8th board meeting the Township received a report from Aquatic Consulting Services on the Egg Mass Survey they completed on behalf of the Township this winter. This survey was intended to determine the success of the spongy moth spray services that were completed in the spring of 2023.
The report indicated the spraying services were highly successful with Aquatic Consulting Services only recommending 289 acres (shown on the map above) for spraying compared to 2,967 acres in 2022 and 654 acres in 2023. According to Aquatic Consulting Services the entire reduction is not due to spraying, but also other environmental factors that play a role in the life cycle of spongy moths.
The Township Board discussed how to proceed at its January 8th and January 22nd board meetings and determined that these spray services benefit the entirety of the Township, and the cost would be paid out of the general fund as opposed to a special assessment to impacted property owners. Following the discussion, the board approved a proposal from Hamilton Helicopter to spray the 289 acres for a cost of $23,018.85. The next step is to provide a letter to all impacted property owners so they are aware of what will happen and when – if your property is located in the impacted area shown on the map you will receive a letter from the Township with additional information.
If you have any questions about Spongy Moths or the potential spray program please contact Julius Suchy, Township Manager at 616-676-9191 ext. 7348 or via e-mail at jsuchy@adatownshipmi.com.
The documents linked below are:
- Click Here - Letter from Aquatic Consulting Services Regarding our Report
- Click Here - Survey Completed by Aquatic Consulting Services
- Click Here - 2024 Map of the Areas Aquatic Consulting Services is Recommending to Spray
2023 Spray Program - Update as of April 7, 2023
Click Here for a letter dated April 7, 2023, sent to residents whose property will be sprayed based on the recommended spray program. This letter provides details related to spraying activities for 2023.
Click here for a full listing of all the parcels to be sprayed by address.
Additional information regarding potential spraying dates (when known) will be posted here and shared via our website headline.
2023 Spongy Moth Plan
At its January 9th board meeting the Township received a report from Aquatic Consulting Services on the Egg Mass Survey they completed on behalf of the Township this winter. This survey was intended to determine the success of the spongy moth spray services that were completed in the spring of 2022.
The report indicated the spraying services were highly successful with Aquatic Consulting Services only recommending 654 acres (shown on the map above) for spraying compared to 2,967 acres last year. According to Aquatic Consulting Services the entire reduction is not due to spraying, but also other environmental factors that play a role in the life cycle of spongy moths.
The Township Board discussed how to proceed at its January 9th and January 23rd board meetings and determined that these spray services benefit the entirety of the Township so the cost would be paid out of the general fund as opposed to a special assessment to impacted property owners. The next step is to provide a letter to all impacted property owners so they are aware of what will happen and when.
If you have any questions about Spongy Moths or the potential spray program please contact Julius Suchy, Township Manager at 616-676-9191 ext. 7348 or via e-mail at jsuchy@adatownshipmi.com.
The documents linked below are:
- Click Here - Letter from Aquatic Consulting Services Regarding our Report
- Click Here - Survey Completed by Aquatic Consulting Services
- Click Here - Original Map of the Areas Aquatic Consulting Services is Recommending to Spray
Update as of April 19, 2022
Hamilton Helicopter has provided an updated date of potential spraying, based on current forecasts it is anticipated it will be later May or at latest the 5th of June.
Click here for a letter dated April 15, 2022 sent to residents whose property will be sprayed based on the recommended spray program. This letter provides details related to cost, when the spraying will take place and will the Township need to spray in subsequent years.
Since the letter went out, there has been a minor update to the map and the total # of acres to be sprayed. This mainly impacts Seidman Park. An updated map can be found here - Updated Spray Map
Click here for a full listing of all the parcels to be sprayed by address.
2022 Spongy Moth Spray Services - why are we spraying?
At the January 10th Township Board Meeting, Neal Swanson of Aquatic Consulting Services provided a report on spongy (gypsy) moths following physical surveys completed by Aquatic Consulting Services this winter. The full report including maps is available by clicking on the links at the bottom of this page.
In summary the report confirmed that the areas of concern referenced by residents and Township officials are infested with spongy (gypsy) moths. Mr. Swanson believes that Ada was able to catch the populations on the rise and using the survey data, will be able to create a spray and monitor protocol that will limit further population growth and damage throughout the Township.
The total acreage recommended for spraying is 2,967 acres. The spray area as outlined in the report is only the areas with significant, potentially damaging population densities. There are areas with less severe infestations that were not recommended for spraying, but should be monitored moving forward.
The Township board voted to move forward with a spray program in 2022 and has entered into an agreement with Hamilton Helicopter to spray in late May or early June of 2022 - weather dependent. The Township has mailed out letters to all property owners whose property is located in the areas to be sprayed.
Based on the quote from Hamilton Helicopter, it is estimated the cost for the upcoming year will be approximately $200,000. The Township Board has included funding for this program in the adopted FY 2022-2023 budget. Future years of the spray program will be covered by a special assessment to impacted residents, although this will be discussed next year prior to a special assessment being finalized. Any resident who would be subject to the special assessment would be notified well in advance of this action taking place.
Any questions regarding the report or process summarized above can be sent to Julius Suchy, Township Manager via e-mail jsuchy@adatownshipmi.com, or via phone 616-676-9191 ext. 48. I understand that residents will have a number of questions and I recommend you read the full report with maps on our website before reaching out with questions.
The documents linked below are:
- Click Here - Letter from Aquatic Consulting Services Regarding our Report
- Click Here - Survey Completed by Aquatic Consulting Services
- Click Here - Original Map of the Areas Aquatic Consulting Services is Recommending to Spray
General Information
Click Here for more information about the spongy (gypsy) moth feeding season from the Michigan DNR.
Click Here for Questions & Answers about using BTK to control spongy (gypsy) moths.
Click Here for more information about BTK and Honeybees