Attack of the worms!

As of 7:20 a.m. today, planes departing from Monroe Region Airport headed to the Charlotte area are unleashing an all out assault against a worm infestation of the city's trees.

The four-day campaign is being led by city arborist Dan McSween in cooperation with the Michagan based spraying company Al's Aerial Spraying.

Charlotte's $1.1 million campaign to hault what arborists say is one of the nation's worst cankerworm infestations will cover 63,000 acres of Charlotte over a 5 day span.

Charlotte officials say the effort is necessary because the cankerworms kill trees and in Charlotte the pesky caterpillars prefer the willow oaks that are common throughout the area.

According to experts, the colorless and odorless spray, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), is not harmful to humans - including pregnant women or pets. Once th canker worm ingests the poison, there digestive tract is paralyzed and they stop feeding within hours. They die from starvation.

Have questions? Contact the city information line at 311, or check the Charlotte website cankerworm.charmeck.org for information.