The city is set to spend $2.5 million to fight a surging gypsy moth population that is threatening trees all over Hamilton. In a report that went to the public works committee last week, city staff describe a dire situation where “West Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, and portions of Flamborough experienced notable defoliation,” of trees last year. The gypsy moth is not native to Ontario, and was introduced in the 1960s. Last summer, things became so bad that people reported the pests were chewing up foliage and dropping off trees and onto their property. The city plans to drop a pesticide called BTK from the sky, to blanket huge areas that are facing damage from the moths.