(VIDEO) Gypsy Moth Spraying Awakens Hopkins Residents

Hopkins residents awoke to a low-flying plane roaring through the skies early Tuesday morning. 

The plane circled over Hopkins from 5:45 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. as part of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture's gypsy moth eradication program.

Tuesday's treatment covered a 136-acre area in parts of Minnetonka, Eden Prairie and Edina—mostly to the northeast of the intersection of Highways 169 and 62, according to the department. Although Hopkins was not in the treatment area, the plane had to fly over parts of surrounding communities to reposition itself.

Gypsy moths are tree pests that can defoliate large sections of forests.