Although the agriculture community is well aware of invasive pests and pathogens — including the emerald ash borer, sudden oak death, the giant African snail, the citrus psyllid, the Asian longhorned beetle and many others — agriculture cannot fight them alone. These pests can be transported unwittingly by the general public; therefore, public awareness is needed to […]
Oregon gets a B- in invasive species management
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Oregon, as a whole, could be doing better in its fight against invasive species. That’s the verdict from the Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC), which gave the state a B-minus on its annual Invasive Species Report Card (PDF). That’s down a full letter grade from 2012, when the state received an A-minus. The main difference? […]
Oregon gets an A minus on invasive species report card
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Oregon deserves an A-minus for its efforts to limit and control the introduction of invasive plants, animals and pathogens into the state, according to the Oregon Invasive Species Council. The group issued its annual Invasive Species Report Card on Jan. 9. Some highlights pertaining to the nursery industry include the following: The Oregon Legislature passed […]
Minnesota enlists dogs against emerald ash borer
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The invasive emerald ash borer, a 1/2-inch beetle, has carved a path of destruction through the American Midwest and the East Coast. But now Minnesota officials are trying something new to combat the pest:
Asian longhorned beetle traps developed
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Researchers have developed a trap (PDF) for luring in the destructive and much-feared asian longhorned beetle (ALB), which has no natural enemies as it cuts a path through neighborhoods and forests. The secret? Bug pheromones. Hat tip to “bug ladies” Suzanne Wainwright-Evans and Robin Rosetta for passing this information along.
An enemy for the emerald ash borer
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We don’t have the emerald ash borer in Oregon, and we hopefully never will. But this blog post talks about a new way of detecting fighting the tree-killing beetle — predatory wasps. Evidently the wasps will quickly find the beetle if it is present in the area. This definitely beats the method of watching for […]
Emerald ash borer detected in Iowa
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The emerald ash borer has been found in another state for the first time.
APHIS considers regulating wood in shipping
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The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is considering proposed rule changes involving wood packaging material used in domestic commerce, such as crates, pallets and sticks. Nurseries commonly use pallets and sticks when shipping plant material, but such wood material unwittingly could transport unwanted and dangerous hitchhikers, such as the emerald ash borer and […]
Citrus longhorned beetle fears spur federal order
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The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today issued a federal order (PDF) restricting importation of several plants from several countries (mostly in Asia) due to the threat of the citrus longhorned beetle (pictured; photo courtesy of Wikipedia) and the Asian longhorned beetle. The affected countries include the following: Afghanistan, China, Japan, Indonesia, […]
Out-of-state firewood: bad
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Oregon residents are being asked to make sure that if they purchase firewood, that it comes from Oregon. According to Dan Hilburn, administrator of the Oregon Department of Agriculture Plant Division, that’s because firewood often allows diseases and invasive species to hitchhike to new locales, endangering trees and nursery stocks in whole new areas. Officials […]