Mating Distruption Draft Performance Work Statement

US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
1941829138023

Performance Work Statement

Project Title3
General Information3
Background and Purpose3
Contractor Requirements..7
Technical Requirements / Tasks..7

DISPERSAL SYSTEMS..8

PRODUCTS AND APPLICATION PROCEDURES..9

3.0 Deliverable / Schedule.11

4.0 Government Furnished.12

Project Title
Spongy Moth Slow the Spread Mating Disruption
General Information
Background and Purpose
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service (FS) cooperative National Spongy Moth Slow the Spread program (STS) works collaboratively with 11 states [Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kentucky (KY), North Carolina (NC), Ohio (OH), Minnesota (MN), Tennessee (TN), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV), and Wisconsin (WI)] to reduce the rate of spread of spongy moth (Lymantria dispar). Applications for mating disruption are annually implemented to suppress newly established spongy moth populations in the STS program. One formulation of these mating disruptants will be considered for the project. Mating disruptants are formulated to slowly release the active ingredient, racemic disparlure, which is a synthetically produced spongy moth pheromone, over a period of several weeks when spongy moth adults are active and mating. The cloud of pheromone that is released disrupts the male moth’s ability to locate and mate with female moths, thereby suppressing the following year’s population.

The intent of this procurement is to contract for the application of mating disruptants during five summer treatment application periods (2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, and 2031) as part of the FS STS program. The product that will be considered for application treatment and is formulated by ISCA Technologies is known as SPLAT-SM Organic® *(SPLAT-SM-O). For simplicity’s sake, application of mating disruptants under this procurement will target newly established spongy moth populations in the program area, which may establish in the states of IA, IL, IN, KY, MN, NC, OH, TN, VA, WI, and WV. Treatments occur just prior to the flight period of the adult male moth. The start of moth flight is dependent on local weather and can range from late May in eastern North Carolina and Virginia to late July in northern Wisconsin and Minnesota. The typical application doses range from 3 grams active ingredient per acre (g ai/ac) to 30.4 g ai/ac may be utilized, but the 6 and 15.2g ai/ac doses are most used.

Application is sub-divided into three acreage items. In the past five years, the STS program has treated approximately 265,000 ±15% (mean ±15%) across the three Items (See Historical Application Data file). Item 1 includes work in the southern states of the STS program (KY, NC, TN, VA, and WV) and has a treatment window extending from late May to mid-June. Item 2 includes states in the central region of the STS program (IL, IN, and OH) and has a treatment window that extends from early June to early July. Item 3 includes states in the northern region of the STS program (IA, MN, and WI) and has a treatment window that extends from late June to late July. If exercised, the option year information (treatment block table, maps, production rates, updated wage determinations, etc.) will be provided early in the calendar year.