Pests and the Public Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with today’s Fruit Grower Report. When it comes to battling invasive pests, YOU are a major player in finding them, reporting them, and in the end, eradicating or controlling them.
And, Greg Haubrich, pest program manager with the Washington Department of Agriculture says early detection is the key …
HAUBRICH … “A lot of people in the invasive species world refer to early detection and rapid response. And that’s definitely key to trying to find these things early, early enough where we can control them and hopefully eradicate them. And we’ve been successful with a few species.”
In the search for the Asian Giant Hornets, Haubrich says it’s possible thanks to the good folks in Whatcom County …
HAUBRICH … “In fact, the first nest we were able to eradicate was due in large part to a homeowner that had seen the hornets feeding on paper wasps’ nests. And that got us there and we were able to catch one and tag it and track it back to its nest. So, it’s been the Citizen Science aspect of the Asian Giant Hornet program has been just huge for us.”
Haubrich says as for the OTHER new kid on the block …
HAUBRICH … “And in Grandview, with the Japanese Beetle infestation, again, the public down there’s been just very good to work with, very receptive, very helpful. In fact, again, one of the citizens in Grandview supplied us with photos from her rose garden last winter. That helps us figure out that we did have a big problems down there because at that time we had only captured two adults.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on the Citizen Scientist approach to the eradication of invasive pests in Washington state.
