News Release for September 5, 2007
For More Information: Bob Moosmann, 207-624-3107

MAINEDOT AND MAINE FOREST SERVICE TO FIGHT
INVASIVE INSECT AT KITTERY REST AREA

The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) and the Maine Forest Service are cooperating to control a harmful, invasive insect pest that has recently been detected at the Kittery rest area off Interstate 95 in the town of Kittery. The insect, the hemlock wooly adelgid, feeds exclusively on hemlock trees in landscapes and forests, defoliating the trees, which often leads to their death. This destructive pest is a serious threat to Maine’s forestry economy, and is currently under a quarantine administered by the Maine Forest Service. The insect was first detected in Maine in 2003. The quarantined area in Maine is currently confined to York County, and has been detected in Kittery, York, Eliot, Wells, and South Berwick.

The hemlock wooly adelgid has been detected on hemlocks throughout the Kittery rest area, and under the guidance of the Maine Forest Service, these trees will be treated during September to control the pest. The product proposed for use is bifenthrin, a pyrethroid insecticide. The pyrethrin class of insecticides has been chosen because of the low risk this class of products presents to human health, wildlife, and the environment. The treatment will be administered as early in the morning as possible, and it is anticipated that treatment activities will take about an hour or less to complete. During the operation, people using the rest area will be re-directed away from the spraying to prevent any exposure. Signs will be posted at the rest area in various areas to notify the public.

As part of a comprehensive, aggressive approach to minimizing the potential that this insect will spread by “hitching a ride” on cars or trucks heading north from the rest area, those trees that cannot be treated have been removed prior to the scheduled spraying. While it is regrettable that some trees had to be removed, the aggressive response will reduce the risk that this harmful, invasive insect will move further north in Maine.

For more information, contact Bob Moosmann in the MaineDOT Bureau of Maintenance and Operations, by phone at 207-624-3107, or by e-mail at Robert.Moosmann@maine.gov.

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