Irkutsk Mayor Dmitry Berdnikov plans measures to rid the city of ermine moths and hopes residents, especially gardeners, will help. He is consulting biologists and proposes tree treatment and dendrological measures, including replacing damaged plantings. The problem has persisted for years and past attempts failed.

Dmitry Berdnikov plans to implement a set of measures to “free” city residents from the ermine moth.
The city mayor intends to fight the pests together with residents, primarily by involving gardeners. The mayor is also consulting with Irkutsk biologists, including Viktor Kuzevanov. Dmitry Berdnikov stated this at a press conference held on July 8.
As Dmitry Berdnikov said, I spoke with our Irkutsk biologists, Viktor Kuzevanov, his colleagues, and learned that this is a long process. Right now we should not sit idly by. We will develop a whole set of measures today and then work on implementing them. This includes treating trees and involving the population itself, first and foremost gardeners. Plus dendrological measures, replacing trees that are susceptible to insect damage.
The ermine moth problem has been relevant for the city in recent years. All these years, the city administration under former mayor Viktor Kondrashov unsuccessfully fought this negative phenomenon in the regional center. Usually, the summer period is when the ermine moth problem arises.
In 2014, spring tree pruning began on May 5 in the Energetikov settlement. At that time, 300 apple trees in the city center and the Sverdlovsky district were treated. Pruning old branches, the city administration promised, would not only help renew the crown, but also destroy more than 50% of the ermine moth caterpillars that had overwintered on the apple trees without the use of special chemicals.
At the end of May 2014, workers from Gorzelenkhoz treated trees in the Leninsky district and the central part of the city with the pesticide Actellic. In total, there were four treatment stages at 10-day intervals. A total of 2.5 million rubles was allocated for the pesticide treatments. But despite the treatment, it was not possible to get rid of the pest 100%.