Press Release - Monday, April 28, 2025
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OPEN HOUSES SCHEDULED TO DISCUSS 2025 SPONGY MOTH TREATMENT PROGRAM
Open house presentations to cover spray treatments in northwest Illinois
SPRINGFIELD, IL - The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) will hold four open houses to discuss its most recent plan to treat parts of northern Illinois for the destructive Spongy Moth (previously called gypsy moth).
| Date | Time | Location | Address | Treatment Areas | Acres | County |
| April 30 | 3-5 PM | Oregon Public Library | 300 Jefferson St. Oregon, IL 61061 | Oregon | 232 | Ogle |
| Lowden Miller | 1,647 | Ogle | ||||
| May 6 | 3-5 PM | Galena Public Library | 601 S Bench St. Galena, IL 61036 | Galena | 2,499 | JoDaviess |
| Scales Mound | 904 | JoDaviess | ||||
| May 8 | 3-5 PM | Freeport Public Library | 100 E Douglas St. Freeport, IL 61032 | Freeport East | 5,637 | Stephenson |
| Freeport West | 2,764 | Stephenson | ||||
| May 13 | 3-5 PM | Matteson Area Public Library | 801 School Ave. Matteson, IL 60443 | Cook County | 635 | Cook |
Spongy Moth is a non-native tree pest. Large populations of the pest are capable of stripping plants bare, leaving them susceptible to disease and environmental stressors. Severe or repeated defoliation can cause tree death.
Unlike the emerald ash borer, another non-native pest which feeds exclusively on ash trees, the Spongy Moth is not a picky eater. Though its caterpillars will devour almost anything leafy and green as they feed on over 250 species of plants, they have a strong preference for many Illinois trees, including oak, willow and even pines.
Male Spongy Moths are brown with black chevron-like markings on their wings and have a wingspan of an inch-and-a-half. Female Spongy Moths are slightly larger and typically white or cream-colored with similar markings. The females cannot fly because of the weight of their eggs.
Infested sites will be treated with an application of mating disruption (MD).
In mid-late June, weather permitting, airplanes will apply the mating disruption product Splat GM-Organic to multiple areas in northern Illinois from the greater Chicagoland area out toward western Illinois. Splat GM -Organic is a Spongy Moth-specific pheromone that acts as a sexual attractant and prevents male Spongy Moths from finding females and breeding.
Anyone interested in learning more about the treatment method is encouraged to attend the open house where IDOA staff will be available to answer questions.
Contact our DeKalb Office by phone at 815.787.5476 with questions or for more information. Keep in mind that Spongy Moth specialists will be in the field for the spray program as it occurs. You can view treatment maps online at the Slow the Spread website:
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