Washington State Departnment of Agriculture’s Pest Program has a new project to be on the lookout for some of the nation’s highest-priority pests and plant diseases that are not yet known to be in the state.
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The program will look for national high-priority pests including pests like spotted lanternfly, which has rapidly spread and decimated vineyards in the Eastern U.S.; apple proliferation phytoplasma, a type of bacteria that inhabits, impedes, and kills orchards; and the tomato brown rugose virus, which stunts tomatoes making their fruits unpalatable.
To look for these and other pests, the WSDA Pest Program needs your help. They are asking farms, community gardens, parks, and even private property owners to sign up to participate in the project this summer.
There are two ways to participate:
• Summer trapping – WSDA trappers will place traps early in the summer and check them several times throughout the season. The traps will be removed in the fall.
• Single site visit – WSDA staff will visit the site once to perform a visual inspection for pests.
Specifically, the team is looking for properties that will have one or more of the following on-site this summer:
• Fruit or nut trees
• Vegetables
• Fruiting shrubs/vines
• Ornamental trees/shrubs
While anyone in Washington is welcome to sign up, the program is especially interested in sites near highways or ports.
If you are willing to participate by offering your property for trapping or a site visit, sign up https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=F-LQEU4mCkCLoFfcwSfXLd5uURHLL1pBooZftjpGFrZUOU9CVEYxNFlNMlBYV1BXUjdKSEI5RzJOUi4u to have your location considered. The Pest Program will review your information and contact you by May 15, 2023, to let you know if your property has been selected as a pest survey site for the upcoming season.
WSDA has a long history of looking for invasive pests to prevent them from establishing in the state.
For example, the longest-running program is the invasive moth program, which has kept spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth) from establishing in Washington (despite numerous introductions) for almost 50 years. Public support and participation have always played a key role in protecting our state from invasive pests and diseases. ■