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06/14/2008
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Love is in the air – unless you’re a Light Brown Apple Moth
 Photo courtesy of www.moths-of-holme.info. There are many native moth species that can be confused with the Light Brown Apple Moth. If you suspect the presence of LBAM, please notify your state department of agriculture, the State Plant Health Director’s Office of USDA, APHIS, PPQ, or call the Plant Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. By Sarah Campbell In case you’ve missed the buzz about Sonoma County’s most unpopular new resident over the past few months, a portion of Sonoma County is indeed under quarantine in hopes of staving off a possible Light Brown Apple Moth (LBAM) infestation. In late April, after the discovery of the second of two LBAMs in the vicinity of west Sonoma, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced the quarantine of a 15-square-mile area that runs from Madrone Road to Leveroni Road in Sonoma, encompassing portions of west Sonoma and the unincorporated communities of El Verano, Boyes Hot Springs and Agua Caliente. Under the restrictions of the quarantine, the 15,000 residents who live in the affected area cannot transport produce, flowers or plant parts within or from the area, unless certified “pest-free” by an agriculture official. Agricultural businesses such a nurseries, farms or grape growers must undergo monthly governmental inspections in order to ship their products outside the quarantine zone. There are 15,000 residents and 2,500 acres of grapes that fall within the quarantined area. However, the LBAM is not only limited to Sonoma County. A native of Australia, the species has been progressively enjoying a little walkabout, making its presence known in New Zealand, the U.K. and Ireland, and New Caledonia (near Fiji). The first confirmed detection of a LBAM on the United States mainland was in Alameda County on March 22, 2007. Since then, the CDFA has reported the infestation and presence of the pests in 11 other counties (so far California is the only other U.S. state besides Hawaii to be affected). Currently, the counties of Monterey, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Alameda and Solano are all battling their own “infestations.” Both Napa and Los Angeles counties have successfully eradicated the LBAM. State and Federal governments have adopted a $75 million eradication plan in hopes of suppressing the spread. But what exactly makes this little lepidopteran so scary? Scientifically speaking, the Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) is a member of the Tortricidae moth family, also known as “leaf rollers,” some of whose other species are native to California and North America. Adult moths are yellowish-brown, about 10mm long and make a distinctive bell shape with their wings folded. LBAM larva can usually be found encased in silken cocoons on the undersides of leaves, and female LBAMs can begin laying eggs 6 to 10 days after emerging from their cocoons. Eggs are laid in masses on the upper surfaces of smooth leaves, taking from 5 to 30 days to hatch. Once hatched, the tiny caterpillars spread out across the plant, looking for suitable places to feed. LBAM do their damage in the larval stage, preferring to feed on the leaves and fruit of over 1,000 plant species, like Monterey pine, oak and eucalyptus, and 250 species of fruits and vegetables, including grapes, citrus and stone fruit, making California particularly susceptible. Also, being non-native to the area, they have no known natural predators here. Although female LBAM only live 6 to 7 weeks, they can lay 300 to 1,500 eggs in that time. This means the decedents of one female can result in 20 million adults in one season. According to the USDA, and based on pest reports from other countries afflicted with infestations, if left unchecked, this has the potential to result in $685 million to $2.7 billion in annual crop losses in California alone. So, with the potential of these two pests to make millions of more pests, what’s a county to do? Well, if the proliferation of the species hinges on one little bugger’s natural urges, why not render those urges useless? To this effect, the USDA has proposed the spraying of a synthetic pheromone over the afflicted areas. In nature, all animals, including humans, emit chemicals known as pheromones. These chemical signals or “scents” trigger natural behavioral responses in members of the same species—whether it be to attract a mate, communicate fear, mark territory or signal the location of food. In fact, pheromones are thought to be so powerfully communicative, that many cologne and perfume makers have jumped on the synthetic pheromone bandwagon and begun marketing synthetic human pheromone additives to increase sex appeal. In the case of the moths, a synthetic pheromone, used as an alternative to harmful, toxic pesticides, would scramble their natural mating signals, leaving male LBAM unable to find potential mates and thereby dooming them to live out the rest of their seven weeks in bachelorhood. The USDA’s Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Public Health and half a dozen other environmental agencies have deemed aerial spraying of the pheromone an acceptable method to combat infestation and several of the other inflicted counties, including San Francisco, Oakland, Marin and Albany have elected to undergo aerial spraying as soon as August 17, to both the pleasure and displeasure of many of their residents. Here in Sonoma County earlier this May, Sonoma City Council members voted 4-1 against aerial spraying. Recently the county has opted to use the synthetic pheromone in another form: twist-ties. Beginning June 16, California Department of Food and Agriculture staff will begin placing 8-inch twist ties on fences, plants and crops in a 200 meter radius around the two different locations where the LBAMs were found earlier this year. Property-owners will be notified prior to application and each property will be allotted approximately 40 twist-ties, which will then be replaced or removed after 90 days. If the twist-ties don’t do the job, Sonoma County may have to revisit the proposal of aerial spraying to eliminate the moths. So, if you sense something’s a little different in the air this summer, don’t worry, it’s just the love. Sarah Campbell is a Kenwood Press staff writer living in Phoenix, AZ. She is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in screen writing. Email: sarah@kenwoodpress.com |
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