Light brown apple moth on UC's radar

The light brown apple moth is getting publicity in the California media and attention from UC scientists. Just yesterday the Monterey Herald ran a story on local concerns about the new pest. The pest's discovery last February has been widely reported in the ag trades, such as California Farmer, and other general media outlets, like the Santa Cruz Sentinel and Associated Press. To date, light brown apple moth has been spotted in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, Marin, Santa Clara, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Mateo and Napa counties.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture assembled a 10-member technical workgroup to make recommendations about dealing with the new pest. Two UC scientists are part of the committee: UC Riverside entomologists Ring Cardé and Marshall Johnson. In a phone conversation with Johnson this morning, he said the workgroup decided at its recent meeting to recommend that CDFA aim to eradicate the pest from the state.

"If we don't control it now, it could get to the San Joaquin Valley, the Sacramento Valley, Oregon, Washington State and other parts of the U.S.," Johnson said.

Johnson said the workgroup suggested CDFA focus its efforts in places where the highest numbers of moths have been found, such as Soquel (the northeast part of Monterey Bay), and places where just a couple of moths have been found.

"If eradication attempts are successful in these areas, then we can spread out to the rest," Johnson said the workgroup recommended.

CDFA photo of light brown apple moth.

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