Cooperative Pest Survey Delivers Good News about Invasive Moths
By Tim Weigle
For the second year in a row grape growers, along with research and extension personnel from Cornell University, have participated in the Cooperative Agriculture Pest Survey (CAPS) funded by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and the USDA. This statewide effort involves forty vineyards in the Lake Erie Region (20), Finger Lakes (10), Hudson Valley (5) and on Long Island (5).
In 2011, traps were deployed for five types of moths which had not yet been found in New York State: the Silver Y moth, the light brown apple moth, the European grapevine moth, the false codling moth, and the summer fruit tortrix moth.
Why go to the trouble of deploying an extensive trapping network for a pest that is not here? Monitoring for these pests serves at least two purposes.
It provides a first alert that these exotic pests are moving into New York State. At this point, none of these moths have been detected in states near New York or in New York State itself, but the light brown apple moth and European grapevine moth were found in the Napa Valley of California in 2009. With the ease in travel throughout the country these days, it is possible that these 'exotics' could find their way here.
Trap with a pheromone cap used to monitor light brown apple moth in a Lake Erie Concord vineyard. Photo by Tim Weigle.
Perhaps the most important reason for monitoring is to protect our ability to export New York State agricultural products. In a bid to limit the introduction of new pests, some states and countries now pay attention to the pests present in the areas from which they are importing products. Having a monitoring system in place which can document that a particular pest has not been observed is important for our export markets in this global economy.
Extensive monitoring during the 2011 growing season resulted in no captures of any of the target moths in any of the trapping areas. More information on the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey for New York State is available on the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets CAPS website.
Tim Weigle is senior extension associate with the New York State IPM program, housed at the Cornell Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory in Portland, NY.