Trappers caught 16 gypsy moths in north Clark County this year, by far more than any other part of Washington as state officials track the destructive forest pest.
A total of 27 gypsy moths were caught in five counties this year, according to the Washington State Department of Agriculture. Trappers found 16 of those in Yacolt, eight in Seattle, and others at Neah Bay, Port Townsend and Lake Whatcom.
Tests later confirmed all the moths were European gypsy moths, not the higher-risk Asian gypsy moth. Gypsy moths cause millions of dollars in damage to U.S. forests each year, according to the state.
State officials placed 20,000 traps across Washington in June and monitored them through the summer. Workers are now conducting physical inspections at the multiple-catch sites in Yacolt and Seattle.
The 27 gypsy moths caught this year equal the number from 2012, but exceeds the amount caught last year. Unlike in many East Coast states, permanent populations of gypsy moths have never been detected in Washington.
