Apr 9, 2007
Light Brown Apple Moth Detected in Four California Counties

The light brown apple moth, a serious pest of apples in other countries and a quarantine pest in the United States, has been found in four San Francisco Bay-area counties, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and USDA.

The first findings were announced March 22, after trappers found 30 of the moths in a 30-square-mile region of Alameda and Contra Costa counties. Since then, the number of findings has grown to 250 in four counties, adding San Francisco and Marin counties.

The moth hasn’t turned up at farms or nurseries, said Steve Lyle, spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

“We’re fortunate we haven’t found it there. Our goal is to keep it out of those areas,”he said. “The pest has the ability to do significant damage to agriculture commodities, trees and the environment.”

USDA estimates that 80 percent of U.S. fruit production is “hospitable territory” for the moth, he said.

The Australian moth, scientifically known as Epiphyas postvittana, attacks a number of plant species, including orchard fruits and grapes. A leafroller, the pest destroys, stunts or deforms seedlings, spoils the appearance of ornamental plants and injures foliage and fruit on stone fruits, apples, pears, grapes and citrus.

Light brown apple moth is native to Australia and is found in New Zealand, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Hawaii. The range of host plants is broad, with more than 250 plant species known to be susceptible.

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and CDFA have assembled a technical working group comprised of international experts to discuss survey and mitigation strategies to safeguard against this potentially damaging pest and prevent its further spread.

The four counties have been designated for interim regulatory action, which will be enforced in all known infested communities and remain in place until CDFA, USDA and agricultural commissioners in affected counties establish a quarantine for the pest.

The interim regulatory action is directed at wholesale nurseries, retail nurseries and community and school gardens.

Wholesale nurseries in the infestation area will be asked to sign compliance agreements stating they will inspect host plants before shipment and certify they are free from light brown apple moth. If the nurseries are infested, plants must be treated and re-inspected before they are shipped.

Retail nurseries will be inspected and, if infested, will be asked to remove infested plants and plant parts and sign compliance agreements certifying that host plants to be sold are free from the pest. Discarded plants and plant parts will be double-bagged and taken to landfills.

Host fruits and vegetables, including citrus, apples, pears, peaches, leafy greens, tomatoes, bell peppers, broccoli and cauliflower, may not be removed from school and community gardens.

Establishments subject to the interim regulatory action will be contacted by regulatory officials.

CDFA is asking that green waste hauled by landscapers and lawn maintenance services be safeguarded and hauled only to approved locations such as transfer stations, landfills, compost facilities and biomass facilities.

CDFA, USDA and agricultural commissioners are asking residents of the infestation zone not to remove plants or plant parts from their property.

The first detection of light brown apple moth in the Bay Area came on Feb. 27. Trapping and surveying will continue in the area to learn the parameters of the infestation. Once that is established, a quarantine will be proposed.

This is the first known finding of the moth in the United States, Lyle said.




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