Gardening

GARDENING Asian gypsy moths

Sunnyvale spotting has local gardeners worried

By KATE RUSSELL

Asian gypsy moths have just been spotted in Sunnyvale and officials are worried. You should be, too, because these invasive new pests can fly to the Pajaro Valley.

A single Asian gypsy moth caterpillar can eat one square foot of foliage in a single day. Fruit and nut trees are vulnerable, along with oak, elm, sweetgum and more than 500 other plant species. If this defoliation doesn’t kill your tree or shrub, it will be more susceptible to other pests and disease. Adding insult to injury, these caterpillars have hairs that may irritate your skin and may cause allergic reactions that can last two weeks.

Asian gypsy moths were first seen in the U.S. in May, in Snohomish County, Wash. They are now found in Oregon, Georgia, Oklahoma, South Carolina and California. Also known as Hokkaido gypsy moths, these pests are not the same thing as European gypsy moths. European gypsy moths are bad news, too. In 2017, European gypsy moths defoliated one-third of the state of Massachusetts, resulting in the loss of one-fourth of its oak trees the following year.

Invasive pests, like the Asian gypsy moth, have the potential to wipe out entire forest ecosystems, not to mention your garden and landscaping, because many of them have no natural pests and indigenous trees and other plants have not evolved their own protections.

Easily mistaken for tent caterpillars or webworms, Asian gypsy moth caterpillars start out less than 1/8-inch long and tan. As they feed and grow, they may reach three and a half inches in length, with two rows of blue and red spots along their backs. Fully mature caterpillars may have a mottled grey color that can range from yellow to black.

Adult female moths are white and somewhat larger than most of our native moths, with a three-and-ahalf-inch wingspan. Males are grayish brown and smaller, with a wingspan of only one and a half inches.

A single female Asian gypsy moth can lay 500 to 1,500 eggs. These fuzzy buff or yellowish egg INVASIVE PEST Asian gypsy moth caterpillars masses may be seen on can be easily mistaken for tent caterpillars tree trunks and branches, or webworms. as well as fences and patio furniture. Each egg mass averages and Agriculture is currently one and a half inches wide by placing 2,300 traps over 81 square three-quarters of an inch, though miles of the Sunnyvale area. they may be as small as a dime. If Asian gypsy moths arrive in

Washington state pest agencies your garden, it is critical that you are spraying “Bacillus thuringiensis report sightings to state officials var. kurstaki” (Btk). Btk is a type right away by calling the Pest of soil bacteria that kills the Asian Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. gypsy moth but is not harmful to pets, people, fish or bees. The Kate Russell is a UCCE California Department of Food Master Gardener.

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Tom Brezsny’s REAL ESTATE OF MIND

Provoking thought since 1990

Death and Taxes. Everyone’s heard those words. It’s part of a quote that originated with Ben Franklin: “Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” More than 240 years later a lot has changed, but death is still at the top of the short list of inevitable facts we all have to face. (Until the Engineering team at Google achieves The Singularity and starts transforming brain waves into digital algorithms uploaded into the Cloud so we can all live forever.) Meantime, lesser mortals at Real Estate of Mind are working on that other most inevitable thing in our lives - taxes. More specifically, real estate taxes - something so many people around the age of 55 are thinking hard about along with questions about downsizing, cash flow and leaving a legacy for their kids. Here’s a quick cheat sheet (reference guide, not an actual suggestion for cheating on your taxes) for those trying to figure out how to avoid substantial increases in their property taxes when they sell their home: Prop 13 (1978): The original granddaddy proposition reducing existing property taxes and significantly limiting increases in the future. Prop 58 (1986): Allows parents to pass homes on to their children without a reassessment of property taxes. See the fine print, folks. Prop 60 (1986): Offers homeowners the opportunity to sell their home and buy a new one (of lesser value) in the same county, while transferring a lower property tax base. Prop 90 (1989): Allows homeowners to transfer their existing property tax base to other participating counties in California (only a few participate). Prop 110 (1990): Extended Prop 60 to disabled homeowners of any age. Prop 193 (1996): Extension of Prop 58 allowing grandparents to transfer property to grandchildren (provided their children are deceased) without reassessment. Stay tuned for progress reports on Prop 19 coming up on the ballot in November. If passed, it would, among other things, modify Prop 90 and allow qualified homeowners over the age of 55 to transfer their property tax base to any other county in the state. While continuing the quest to cheat both death (via Google) and taxes (via Proposition) I invite any and all of you who are wrestling with the numbers to give me a call to discuss how each of the different Propositions can assist in your planning.

Tom Brezsny Realtor® DRE#01063297 831-818-1431 getreal@serenogroup.com