The Town of Newmarket is again giving away free burlap kits to help residents protect their trees from the invasive Lymantria dispar dispar (LDD) moths.
You can sign up online to receive a free kit to wrap burlap around your trees to help protect them from the moth caterpillars this spring. The invasive species is known to damage trees and municipalities have worked to combat an outbreak for more than a year.
“The burlap installed on the tree will act as a barrier to slow down the caterpillars from travelling up the tree to feed on the tree’s leaves,” the town said in a news release. “Burlap installation on trees is the most effective when done in the spring as caterpillars will begin to hatch and feed from early May to mid-July.”
Newmarket ran a similar program last year, garnering long lineups. This time, the town is asking you to fill out a form online and arrange a specific pickup time at the municipal operations centre at 1275 Maple Hill Crt.
Other initiatives the town has planned for anti-moth efforts this year include conducting ground spraying on younger trees, tree injections on more mature trees and egg mass surveys to monitor the population. The town will also be vacuuming LDD egg masses in areas with vulnerable trees.
“By managing LDDs on your property, you will help reduce the LDD population and its impacts on the environment in Newmarket,” the town said.
To get your kit, you can visit heynewmarket.ca/lddmoth and complete a signup form. The town asks that you bring a piece of ID with your address., as the program program is for Newmarket residents only.
A moth by another name
The town is also changing how it will commonly refer to the insects by using the name "spongy moth.”
The moths were previously commonly known by a name considered a slur toward the Romani people.
The Entomological Society of Canada has adopted a new common name of “spongy moth” and the town said it would join many other government agencies in using this new name.
