Louisiana HLB Quarantine Area Expanded

Tacy Callies Diseases, Louisiana, Regulation

Federal agriculture officials, in cooperation with Louisiana agriculture officials, have established a federal quarantine area for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, in all of Saint Charles Parish in Louisiana. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) took the action in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF). …

Expansion of Medfly and Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantines

Tacy Callies California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and California officials have expanded a Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine in Los Angeles County and an Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The expansion of both …

Yellow Vein Clearing Virus Spreads in California

Tacy Callies California Corner, Diseases

Positive identifications of citrus yellow vein clearing virus (CYVCV) have been found in the Hacienda Heights area of Los Angeles County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed the identifications during the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) routine multi-pest survey. This is the second area in California where CYVCV has been detected. The …

Emergency Funding Approved for Exotic Fruit Flies

Tacy Callies Pests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) is using $103.5 million in emergency funding to respond to the threats associated with growing outbreaks of exotic fruit flies. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack approved the transfer of the funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to APHIS to directly support emergency response efforts domestically and …

Alabama Designated as Commercial Citrus Producer

Tacy Callies Diseases, Regulation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) announced it has designated Alabama as a commercial citrus-producing area. This action provides Alabama with protections that are afforded under the citrus canker regulations applying to commercial citrus-producing states. USDA APHIS regulates the interstate movement of certain plants, plant parts and other articles from areas of the …

California Fruit Fly Quarantines Continue to Expand

Tacy Callies California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state officials have expanded Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata; Medfly), Zeugodacus tau fruit fly and Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni; QFF) quarantines in California. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The Medfly and tau fruit fly quarantines …

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Updates on Medfly and Psyllid Quarantines in California

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Agriculture officials recently established a Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata or Medfly) quarantine and expanded an Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) quarantine, both in California. MEDFLYFederal and state agriculture officials on Oct. 18 established the Medfly quarantine in California’s Los Angeles County. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and …

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More Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantines in California

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture officials in late September established Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantines in Sacramento, San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) following OFF detections in those areas. The new quarantines come …

Imports From Japan Would Pose Pest Risk

Josh McGill Export/Import, International, Regulation

A federal pest risk assessment for the importation of fresh citrus from Japan has identified the Japanese orange fly (Bactrocera tsuneonis) as posing a high risk of introduction into the United States. The 120-page assessment was prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS). The agency assessed the risk of scores of insects, …

Egyptian Citrus Imports Would Be ‘Calamity’ for California Growers

Josh McGill International, Trade

Egyptian citrus could be on the way to the U.S. market after a request was made to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). A pest risk assessment has been drafted by USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Jim Cranney, president of the California Citrus Quality Council (CCQC), said the assessment is for fresh oranges and tangerines, which would …

Fruit Fly Quarantine Actions in California

Josh McGill Pests, Regulation

Portions of Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties in California have been placed under quarantine for the Oriental fruit fly (OFF), and a quarantine in Orange County has been removed. See the updated quarantine map here. CONTRA COSTA COUNTYIn Contra Costa County, detections near the cities of Brentwood and Oakley have resulted in a quarantine zone covering 99 square miles. …

Improved Lebbeck Mealybug Detection

Josh McGill Pests

The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) scientists and research partners have found a faster, safer and less expensive way for growers to detect the invasive lebbeck mealybug. A recent study published in Journal of Applied Entomology describes their work. The lebbeck mealybug (Nipaecoccus viridis) feeds on and damages various citrus fruit and ornamental plants. The invasive species …

Tau Fruit Fly Quarantine Expanded

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture agencies on Aug. 15 expanded the Zeugodacus tau fruit fly quarantine in the Stevenson Ranch area of Los Angeles County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). The expansion was in response to the confirmed …

Yellow-Legged Hornet Poses Threat to Pollinators

Josh McGill Georgia, Pests

A yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), which poses a threat to honeybees and other pollinators, was recently detected near Savannah, Georgia. This is the first time a live specimen of this species has been detected in the United States. Its presence was confirmed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant …

Brownsville Mexfly Quarantine Removed in Texas

Josh McGill Pests, Regulation, Texas

Federal and state agriculture officials on Nov. 14 removed the Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas. The quarantine was removed after three generations elapsed with no additional detections in the area. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). …

Hargill Mexfly Quarantine Removed in Texas

Josh McGill Pests, Regulation, Texas

Federal and state agriculture officials on Sept. 21 removed the Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Hargill, Willacy County, Texas, after three generations elapsed with no additional detections in this area. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). This action releases the final …

Tahiti Limes From Brazil to Be Imported Into United States

Josh McGill Brazil, Export/Import, Limes

The federal government has drafted a pest risk assessment for the importation of fresh Tahiti limes (Citrus latifolia) for consumption from Brazil into the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) assessment describes potential pests associated with the commodity. APHIS shares draft pest …

Mexfly Actions Eased in Texas

Josh McGill Pests, Regulation

One Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Texas was recently removed, and portions of another Mexfly quarantine were released. Federal and state officials on Oct. 13 removed the Mexfly quarantine in Harlingen, Cameron County, after three generations elapsed with no additional detections in the area. This action releases the final 108.17 square miles of the Harlingen quarantine, which contained 699.3 …

Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Removed in California

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture officials removed the Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine in the North Hills area of Los Angeles County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). On July 1, APHIS and CDFA established an OFF quarantine in …

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New Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Established in California

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Federal and state agriculture authorities on Sept. 16 established an Oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis) quarantine in the Fountain Valley area of Orange County, California. The action was taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). This action is in response to the confirmed detections …