VICTORIA The B.C. government will be releasing aerial spray treatments to control gypsy moth populations on Vancouver Island later this month. Up to four aerial-spray treatments are slated to take place between Reinnson Road and Veterans Memorial Parkway, north of Courtenay, beginning next week. The 187-hectare area is believed to be home to gypsy moths, which are destructive to native and urban forests, as well as orchards, according to the province. If these pests are not treated, they could spread to other parts of the province and put hundreds of species of trees and shrubs at risk, including in endangered Garry oak ecosystems, said the Ministry of Forests in a release Wednesday.