Spongy moth is a serious forest pest endemic to the northeastern states

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded a Cooperative Agreement totaling $110,500 to The University of Kentucky Research Foundation on May 1, 2026, to conduct spongy moth detection surveillance across Kentucky.

The recipient will hire independent contractors to set approximately 3,086 traps on a 3-kilometer grid across the state and remove them at season's end, following national detection protocol. Surveyors will receive $28 per trap ($14 for setting, $14 for removal). Personnel from the University of Kentucky will train and supervise the surveyors and prepare midyear and final accomplishment reports as well as the Field Operations Spongy Moth Annual Data Report. Traps and lure are supplied by PPQ. The survey will demonstrate spongy moth presence or absence in surveyed areas, with data uploaded to an APHIS-approved database. Trainer and supervisor roles will be filled by the state survey coordinator and senior nursery inspector employed on the project.

Work will begin in spring 2026 and conclude by September 2026. The period of performance runs through April 30, 2027. Performance takes place in Kentucky. The award responds to spongy moth's documented presence in Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and eastern Tennessee surrounding Kentucky's borders and the high risk of spread driven by recreational traffic and northeast-to-Kentucky migration patterns. Early detection allows rapid eradication before large-scale infestation control costs accrue.

Activities

The cooperator will hire independent contractors to perform a detection survey across kentucky according to national protocol. Personnel from the university of kentucky will train and supervise the surveyors. Independent contractors will set approximately 3,086 traps set on a 3K grid. Surveyors will be paid $28 per trap. Half will be paid for setting the trap and half for removing the trap. Traps and lure will be provided by PPQ. The state survey coordinator and senior nursery inspector who work on this project will prepare and submit the midyear and final accomplishment reports as well as the field operations spongy moth annual data report. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the project will begin with training of surveyors in spring 2026 and will be completed by september 2026. Surveyors will set spongy moth traps across as much of the state as funding allows and will remove the traps at the end of the season. At the end of the survey they will demonstrate presence/absence of spongy moth in the areas surveyed. Data will be uploaded to an aphis approved database and results summarized in midyear and final accomplishment reports. The field operations spongy moth annual data report will be completed and submitted to the state plant health director office by the last full week of november 2026. Intended beneficiary(IES): kentucky commercial timber and nursey stock producers. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: N/a. Large cost categories: personnel: 3 employees with various rates and effort=$8,535. Fringe benefits at 19.237% =$4,635. Contractual: (contractors paid $28 per trap for 3,086 traps ($14 paid for set, $14 for removal)=$80, 408. Indirect costs: 10% direct costs = $10,045