A second Light Brown Apple Moth found in Valley off Arnold Drive. Submitted photo
In an agricultural area predominantly given to one species of plants, an invasion of an exotic plant-eating or disease-spreading pest can raise fears of total devastation. In February, the appearance of a single light brown apple moth in a trap on Arnold Drive alerted Sonoma’s agricultural community, while surrounding counties with infestations fought off government efforts to impose “emergency” aerial spraying of untested insecticide, not approved by the EPA.
The discovery in Sonoma of a second moth on Sunday, April 20,will raise no thought to spraying, said Sonoma Agricultural Commissioner Lisa Correia. But it will trigger a quarantine, imposing restrictions on movements of plants and produce. She said the Agriculture Commission is working with industry members, nurseries and producers to make sure there’s as little disruption as possible. “As it stands now,” said Correia, “I think we can take the precautions necessary and people can continue doing business and hopefully [we can] contain the insect, using the twist.”
“The twist” is the typical treatment for curtailing the spread of infestation – pheromone infused twist ties. The ties are six to eight inches long, and emit the female apple-moth pheromone, attracting the males and confusing their mating cycle, thus reducing the insect’s spread.
To track and catch the insects, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has placed 600 pheromone traps throughout the county, 300 more in the nine-square mile area surrounding the initial find, and additional traps in the area where the second moth was discovered. The traps are checked every two weeks. “It’s incredibly labor intensive,” said Correia.
The moth is native to Australia, where they have programs in place to control it. So far the moth has not yet done extensive damage to California crops, but the federal government has funded $75 million statewide for containment.
