Colorado Springs battling destructive pests
They’re no larger than a dime.
But an insect is causing massive destruction in western parts of Colorado Springs.
North Cheyenne Canyon Park is a favorite spot for hikers.
But along the trails, there is a killer. The Cox family has seen it.
“We couldn’t believe the number of caterpillars hanging down from the trees,” said Chris Cox.
And they’ve see what it does.
Lisa Dillmann-Cox said, “You could already see that the needles were gone, (they) were being chewed up.”
The end result of that infestation is trees that are literally eaten alive.
The culprit is the Tussock Moth and the Western Spruce Budworm.
Dennis Will, the Colorado Springs forester said, “We have very high numbers of these moths in these woods.”
Even if a tree can survive a moth attack, foresters say it becomes vulnerable to other pests.
The trailhead for the Mount Cutler and Mount Muscoco hiking trails in North Cheyenne Canyon Park looks great, but a little ways up the trail, it’s easy to see the damage from the Tussock Moth is easy to see.
But now the city has a plan to fight the moth.
“We’re going to spray all of North Cheyenne Canyon, Blodgett (Peak) and Bear Creek (Parks),” said Will.
He said that only the moths will be affected by the spraying.
The city will be putting out a call for bids Thursday.
