BELLEVUE, Iowa (AP) — Officials are trying to stop the spread of gypsy moths in eastern Iowa’s Jackson County. The Telegraph Herald reports that the state conducted aerial treatments of land west of Bellevue earlier this month. The gypsy moth has spread slowly west from Massachusetts since the 1870s. It’s an invasive species that can cause extensive deforestation as its larvae eat leaves, particularly oak leaves.

Mike Kintner is gypsy moth outreach and regulatory coordinator for Iowa, and he says last year’s treatment reduced the number of gypsy moths, “but we noted that there was movement northward. This year we’re trying to stop that spread.”