Gypsy moths devour 112,000 acres in Va. this year, 81,000 acres in W.Va.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) _ Gypsy moths haven’t lost their taste for West Virginia hardwoods as the insects devoured 81,000 acres of forest this year and defoliated more than 112,000 acres in Virginia

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture says the damage represents a 4 percent increase from last year.

West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner Gus Douglass says the moths attacked trees in the Eastern Panhandle and in counties that border Virginia.

The heaviest damage was in Greenbrier and Monroe counties, where roughly 85 square miles of forest were defoliated.

Residents are encouraged to sign up for next year’s aerial spraying program to help slow the insects’ spread.