County remains under restriction, but no infestation of light
brown apple moth locally
As much of San Benito County remains under a quarantine order
designed to stop the spread of the light brown apple moth, the top
local agriculture official said the destructive pest remains more
of an
”
inconvenience
”
than an imminent threat locally at this point.
Fewer than 20 of the moths, which were first found in California
in 2007, have been found in the county, with most of them in the
Aromas area. The insect, native to Australia, is a threat to
various crops, including broccoli, lettuce, cherries, apricots,
walnuts, tomatoes and peppers. Officials have estimated the moth
could cause up to $100 million in lost production costs in
California.
County remains under restriction, but no infestation of light brown apple moth locally
As much of San Benito County remains under a quarantine order designed to stop the spread of the light brown apple moth, the top local agriculture official said the destructive pest remains more of an “inconvenience” than an imminent threat locally at this point.
Fewer than 20 of the moths, which were first found in California in 2007, have been found in the county, with most of them in the Aromas area. The insect, native to Australia, is a threat to various crops, including broccoli, lettuce, cherries, apricots, walnuts, tomatoes and peppers. Officials have estimated the moth could cause up to $100 million in lost production costs in California.
“There have been very few moths found here, but it’s enough to have us remain in quarantine,” said Ron Ross, the county’s agriculture commissioner, noting most of the Hollister and San Juan valleys are under quarantine. “Right now there hasn’t been any report of damage in this area. The impact has been with the quarantine aspects of the find. Growers and packers often have to have their crops inspected and they may have to have special documentation to have their product exported to other regions or countries.”
Other than by flight, the most common method of the moth expanding its territory is on live plants sold through nurseries and destined for commercial, ornamental and garden plantings, according to the state department of food and agriculture. It can also spread through the transport of fresh produce and green waste.
The final environmental impact report on the state’s moth eradication program, which has included use of a moth pheromone and the release of sterile moths, said that it is “unlikely” that the program would cause harm to humans or the environment. The report was certified this week.
“The greater potential for human and environmental harm would come from widespread pesticide use by private parties and organizations in the absence of a LBAM program,” according to a statement released by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The department said that the only treatment methods being considered are the placement of pheromone twist ties on trees and plants, and the release of sterile moths. Aerial application of a moth pheromone is not under consideration.
A pheromone is an odor released that would confuse the male light brown apple moth so it would breed itself out of existence by not finding a mate, Ross said. A sterile moth breeding facility in Moss Landing may later this year make limited releases of the moths in Napa and Sonoma counties to see if that stops the spread of the moth.
“If it does work, they may use those to keep beating back the boundaries” of the moth, Ross said, adding that his staff continues to monitor approximately 80 traps set throughout the county.
“We haven’t found any [light brown apple moths] in a few months,” he said. “If there are any over here, the numbers are really low.”
Quarantined areas can have that designation lifted after a number of moth lifecycles pass without more discoveries of the insect.
“Some parts of the county are nearing that date,” Ross said. “It’s possible the quarantine could be reduced in the northern part of San Benito County. It’s going to depend on trapping data. We might be at that point by mid-year.”
Despite the lack of damage locally, Ross said some organic crops in Santa Cruz County have sustained damage from the insect.
“It does have the potential [to be a problem here],” he said. “There’s still a lot of things that are not known about its behavior in California.”
