Aerial spray treatments will be done in the Lower Mainland and three locations in the southern Interior in spring 2024 to eradicate spongy moths and minimize the risk they pose to forests, farms, orchards and trees. Under the direction of the B.C. Plant Protection Advisory Council’s Spongy Moth Technical Advisory Committee, the ministry plans to treat the following areas in the Interior and coastal region: Cranbrook: 299 hectares (ha), Kamloops: 80 ha, West Kelowna: 52 ha, Langley: 30 ha, and Tsawwassen: 203 ha. Invasive spongy moths, also known as Lymantria moths, pose a risk to B.C.’s ecosystems and economy. Spongy moth caterpillars feed on tree leaves and have defoliated sections of forests and residential areas in Ontario and the eastern United States in recent years. Untreated spongy moths risk spreading to other areas of B.C. and are a threat to urban forests and farms.

A second press release identifies spray locations on Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island