Sign up to help WSDA watch for high-priority invasive pests

Karla Salp
Communications

Is tomato fruit borer lurking in your garden? Or is Scots pine blister rust on your tree? Early detection is critical for protecting the state’s forests, parks, farms, and gardens from invasive pests and diseases.

That’s why WSDA’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.

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, please sign up 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.

With your support and early detection, there is a much higher chance of eradicating or significantly slowing the spread of any new pest. 

*The complete list of pests for this project:

Scientific Name	Common Name
Lycorma delicatula	Spotted lanternfly
Adoxophyes orana	Summer fruit tortrix moth
Anthonomus rubi	Strawberry blossom weevil
Diabrotica speciosa	Cucurbit beetle
Helicoverpa armigera	Old world bollworm
Heteronychus arator	Black maize beetle
Neoleucinodes elegantalis	Tomato fruit borer
Thaumatotibia leucotreta	False codling moth
Phthorimea absoluta	Tomato leafminer
Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense 16SrXII-B	Australian grapevine yellows
Candidatus Phytoplasma mali 16SrX-A	Apple proliferation
Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium 16SrIX-B	Almond witches' broom
Candidatus Phytoplasma prunorum 16SrX-F	European stone fruit yellows
Candidatus Phytoplasma solani 16SrXII-A	Bois noir; Stolbur
Candidatus Phytoplasma ziziphi	Jujube witches' broom
Cronartium flaccidum	Scots pine blister rust
Magnaporthiopsis maydis	Late wilt of corn
Orthotospovirus Groundnut bud necrosis virus	Groundnut bud necrosis virus (GBNV)
Hymenoscyphus fraxineus	Ash dieback
Tobamovirus Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus	Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV)
Tobamovirus Tomato brown rugose fruit virus	Tomato brown rugose (ToBRFV)
Alectra vogelii	Yellow witchweed
Onopordum acaulon	Horse thistle