2024 Browntail Moth Mitigation Program

Update 4/17/24 3pm:  Spraying for Browntail Moth along public roads and public/private property will begin Sunday 4/21. If you opted in for assessment and your property is found to have BTM you will be contacted directly by Pine State. Please respond with questions or approval for treatment as soon as possible.  Email btm@fryeislandtown.org for any questions.  Detailed information can be found on the BTM info page.

Pine State Pest has completed 77% of assessments since Monday for property owners who consented yes in the survey.  This is mostly the perimeter of the island where it is more common to find BTM activity (Browntail moths first blossomed in coastal communities of Maine).

The north end of the island, as mentioned in the winter assessment (seen below), is in noticeably in worse shape than last year, but evidence of nests are being found throughout the island.

So far, 131 properties have been found to have brown tail moth nests, and 101 with no nests found.  Of those consenting, in 2022 190+ properties needed treatment, and in 2023 less than 70.  The infestation appears to be severe on Raymond Cape, while the island is mostly light to moderate where the nests are found.  Reducing browntail moth populations reduces the number of toxic hairs which may cause harm to human skin.

Thank you to the 358 property owners who took time to respond (yes or no) to the survey.  We did not receive a  response from ~200 properties.  Of those who responded, 84% opted in for assessment. 

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Notice:  The Town of Frye Island conducted a second island-wide brown tail moth mitigation program last spring (2023).  General assessment for 2024 of the island status was completed last month.  Pine State Pest's general assessment from travelling the roads (not a detailed assessment of properties) can be found here.  Discussion was held on Wednesday 3/20 at the Excomm Meeting and the decision to continue with follow-up town wide treatments in 2024 was made.  Public Docs

General Assessment:  Excerpt below, please read full document for details:

From Pine State Pest:  Overall, Frye Island is showing improvement throughout most of the island, with a majority of the island being nest free, or having very light activity. [...] The likely reason for the reintroduction from moths in specific areas, though mostly light, is due to infested trees remaining untreated because of homeowner inaction or infested trees that are inaccessible in the woods. This is consistent with any other area of the state where BTM has moved into and heavily infested, and although moth reintroduction is common in these areas, property treatments kill current caterpillars, giving seasonal relief from toxic hairs, and keep populations from exponentially growing year over year. 

The main area of concern during the assessment was the Northern corner of Frye Island along Leisure Ln. Heavily infested trees [...] were observed along the road and on properties from the 100's to 200's Leisure Lane, with the highest concentration being around the Beach 4 and the northern corner of the island. [...] This was a surprise due to the low concentrations of nests observed last year in the same area and the vast number of nests observed in trees throughout the area this year. It was determined that the phenomenon is likely due to moth introduction from the Raymond Cape during the summer, with the wind direction being just right as the caterpillars emerged as moths. The BTM infestations on the Raymond Cape have been growing significantly over the last few years and we inspected many properties last year, all severely infested.  For more details, please read full document.

Town Assessment:  Last year, in 2023, The BOS/ExComm agreed to the spray treatment program along public roads, beaches, and the golf course for 18.3 miles.  In 2022, the town paid for a total of 31.5 miles of spraying treatment including up to 50 feet of a private resident’s driveway if the homeowner consented.  This year, private residents will be responsible for consent and payment of any treatment on any part of their property. 

In 2023, only 400-500 inches of injections on town property were anticipated due to the success of last year’s program.  In 2022, 1,313 diameter inches of 92 trees on public property were treated.  Injection is only done within 50 feet of the water and spraying is not permitted.

Private Property Treatment:  Private resident participation in highly infested areas will help continue to reduce the population.  If the properties near the areas marked on the 2023 BTM Maps have their properties treated, it will make a substantial impact on mitigating the island wide infestation.

Residents who opt in for treatment this year will be responsible for paying for their entire property, as was the case in 2023.  In 2022 the town paid for the spraying from the first fifty feet of driveways. Please note, spraying is the principal method of treatment. Only afflicted trees within 50 feet of the waterfront are treated by injection. 

Private Property Consent & Pricing:  The town will be issuing a consent survey and forwarding this information to Pine State. This year, Pine State will be handling invoicing and payments.  Pine State will assess any properties provided there is intent to undertake and pay for treatment (if needed) by consent via the survey.  After the assessment, Pine State will provide the property owner with a quote for service only if there is brown tail moth activity on their property.  Payment via credit card will be required before treatment is applied.  The detailed pricing structure for any treatments needed on private property, including lot size estimates, can be found on the Private Property Treatment Pricing subpage and are abridged below:

Spraying Tier Pricing:

- $350 (avg. lot / light activity)

- $500 (large lot / moderate/heavy activity)

- $750 (3/4+ acre lot)

*town paid for treatment of all trees 50+ ft up driveway in

2022. Residents are responsible for ENTIRE lot in 2024 (same as 2023)

Lot Size Estimate Map

Injection Tier Pricing (for trees within 50 feet of waterfront)*:

$350 (1-2 trees)**

$550 (3-4 trees)**

$750 (5-6 trees)**

$950 (7+ trees)**

*per lot (injections only to be applied within 50 feet of waterfront)

ACTION REQUIRED:  Property owners will soon receive a consent survey via email from btm@fryeislandtown.org which allows you to:

• Sign up for an assessment to determine if treatment of any infested trees on your property is needed (with the intent to treat if so)

• Or, indicate that you will be refusing to participate in any treatment on private property.

This survey should be completed by April 5th

The goal of the program is to act as a community to treat as many infested trees as possible, to limit the impact on health and quality of life, as well as on trees island-wide.  The consent survey will take only a few minutes to complete.  If you did not receive the survey, please email btm@fryeislandtown.org

Pesticide Information:  The treatments will be applied by a licensed pesticide applicator (Pine State Pest Solutions), in accordance with Maine regulations regarding pesticide use.  Pesticides to be used, depending on location and treatment required, are listed below.  For the list of pesticides and further details, please visit the BTM Treatment Information page on the town website.

Contact:  If you have any questions, please email btm@fryeislandtown.org.

Please check your email account, including your spam or junk mail folders for the survey message.  If you need assistance, please email btm@fryeislandtown.org

---Updates-- click for updates