Californian agriculture is facing another potentially devastating pest problem in the form of the African false codling moth, just weeks after the Asian citrus psyllid began its incursion of the state.
An adult male false codling moth was discovered in a trap in the city of Port Hueneme on 24 July. The possible quarantine breach has been declared an emergency by the Californian Department of Food and Agriculture secretary, reports Scripps News.
The department said the moth, or thaumatotibia leucotreta, could “cause devastating losses to the agricultural industry and to urban landscapes if it were to become established in California”.
Citrus, avocados, cotton, peaches, peppers and corn list among the 50-odd plant species the false codling moth has been known to attack, according to Dave Sacks, spokesman for the US Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
“This is the type of pest that not only destroys the fruit, but destroys the trees as well,” Mr Sacks said. “So it's a double whammy.”
The moth was found near the Port of Hueneme, where fruit shipped in from foreign countries is offloaded. The false codling moth has been caught over 1,500 times in the US since 1984 on 99 plant species at 34 ports, but this is the first time the pest has been found actually outside a port.
A 10km perimeter around the location of the first moth is being stocked with traps. If a second moth is found, the US government will declare a full quarantine of the area and its US$1.5bn agriculture industry.
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