A CLOSER LOOK AT PEST DETECTION
Searching for Harmful Insects to Protect SLO County’s Agriculture Industry
San Luis Obispo County residents are fortunate to live in a beautiful area with pleasant weather conditions that are perfect for cultivating a wide variety of food crops, native and ornamental plants.
However, many harmful insects can also thrive here if inadvertently brought into the area from other places with a similar climate. Goods that move between counties, states, and nations may harbor destructive pests. Left unchecked, and with no natural enemies, these pests could gain a foothold in SLO County and wreak environmental and economic havoc.
The County’s Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures worked with thousands of SLO County residents in 2017 to prevent this from happening. Through the County’s Pest Detection Program, 5,693 insect traps were placed at 7,252 SLO County residences in 2017. County employees, known as pest detection trappers, work under protocols developed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture, inspected or serviced the traps a total of 57,907 times throughout the year. As a result, 27 targeted insect pests were trapped and potential economic and environmental disasters were averted.
Protecting SLO County’s agriculture industry by finding destructive insect pests – and the plant diseases they may carry – before they establish a foothold is the sole focus of the County’s Pest Detection Program. This program uses a three-pronged approach: pest exclusion, pest detection and pest eradication.
Some exotic insect pests can severely impact local agriculture production and cause restrictions on shipments in and out of SLO County. These necessary restrictions could prevent local farmers from growing and transporting their crop outside of the area.
To prevent this, dozens of County Pest Detection Trappers act as detectives, examining strategically placed insect traps located in plants favored by specific invasive insects. The County places traps, with the cooperation of residents and property owners, in urban neighborhoods where these insects are likely to be introduced. These traps contain lures that attract targeted insect species and capture any that may be in the surrounding area.
In addition to monitoring insect traps, County staff conduct visual surveys and sample for all types of invasive pests and pathogens at public parks, campgrounds, truck stops, shipping hubs, nurseries, and other high traffic locations considered potential entry points for unwanted pests.
The results of the 2017 pest detection season were reassuring.
Your Actions Matter:
Residents can help fight against the introduction of destructive insects in the following ways:
The County’s agricultural industry contributes to the local and state economies by providing food, jobs, and many secondary economic benefits. Working together we can stop the introduction of destructive insects that could devastate not only the economy but also the beauty and diverse flora and fauna of the place we call home.
However, many harmful insects can also thrive here if inadvertently brought into the area from other places with a similar climate. Goods that move between counties, states, and nations may harbor destructive pests. Left unchecked, and with no natural enemies, these pests could gain a foothold in SLO County and wreak environmental and economic havoc.
The County’s Department of Agriculture/Weights and Measures worked with thousands of SLO County residents in 2017 to prevent this from happening. Through the County’s Pest Detection Program, 5,693 insect traps were placed at 7,252 SLO County residences in 2017. County employees, known as pest detection trappers, work under protocols developed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture, inspected or serviced the traps a total of 57,907 times throughout the year. As a result, 27 targeted insect pests were trapped and potential economic and environmental disasters were averted.
Protecting SLO County’s agriculture industry by finding destructive insect pests – and the plant diseases they may carry – before they establish a foothold is the sole focus of the County’s Pest Detection Program. This program uses a three-pronged approach: pest exclusion, pest detection and pest eradication.
Some exotic insect pests can severely impact local agriculture production and cause restrictions on shipments in and out of SLO County. These necessary restrictions could prevent local farmers from growing and transporting their crop outside of the area.
To prevent this, dozens of County Pest Detection Trappers act as detectives, examining strategically placed insect traps located in plants favored by specific invasive insects. The County places traps, with the cooperation of residents and property owners, in urban neighborhoods where these insects are likely to be introduced. These traps contain lures that attract targeted insect species and capture any that may be in the surrounding area.
In addition to monitoring insect traps, County staff conduct visual surveys and sample for all types of invasive pests and pathogens at public parks, campgrounds, truck stops, shipping hubs, nurseries, and other high traffic locations considered potential entry points for unwanted pests.
The results of the 2017 pest detection season were reassuring.
- County pest detection trappers intercepted a single Glassy winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis), in the city of San Luis Obispo in July of 2017 and eliminated the spread of this serious vineyard pest.
- The Asian Citrus Psyllid (Diaphorina citri) numbers decreased by 97.5% in 2017 compared to the previous year. Only five psyllids were found in 2017 as compared to 200 in 2016. This is a direct result of the County’s collaboration with the community and the California Department of Food and Agriculture to find, identify, and treat psyllid populations as soon as they are discovered.
- The County continued to find the Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas psotvittana) since its first discovery in urban areas in 2009. The County has been working to detect and eradicate this pest since that time and plant quarantine restrictions keep the moths from spreading to other areas.
Your Actions Matter:
Residents can help fight against the introduction of destructive insects in the following ways:
- Purchase nursery plants from local, reputable sources.
- Don’t move firewood. Burn firewood close to where you purchased it. Firewood can easily carry detrimental insects and plant disease.
- Volunteer your fruit trees and gardens as hosts for the department’s Pest Detection Trappers to place insect traps. Call the department at (805) 781-5910 to enroll.
- If you bring plants into San Luis Obispo County, request an inspection by contacting the department at (805) 781-5910.
- If you notice an unusual insect or odd plant disease symptoms, call the department at (805) 781-5910 for inspection.
The County’s agricultural industry contributes to the local and state economies by providing food, jobs, and many secondary economic benefits. Working together we can stop the introduction of destructive insects that could devastate not only the economy but also the beauty and diverse flora and fauna of the place we call home.
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