USDA and MDA Officials Set Traps for Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Month

ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 10, 2012) – Maryland Agriculture Secretary Buddy Hance, Deputy Secretary Mary Ellen Setting, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Rebecca Blue stressed the importance of stopping invasive plants and pests by hanging one of the first survey traps of the season in the trees of Patuxent Wetlands Park in Anne Arundel County. Traps are used to identify and track invasive pests and help officials develop possible eradication or other mitigation measures.

“In Maryland, the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) – a small invasive pest that can fit on a penny – has killed thousands of ash trees across the state. Losses from the EAB could exceed $227.5 million in the Baltimore metro area alone if it goes unchecked,” said Secretary Hance. “The greenhouse and nursery industry is the second largest agricultural sector in Maryland. It accounts for $1.96 billion in gross receipts. This industry continues to face significant risk from just this one invasive pest. That is why our partnership with USDA and other state Departments of Agriculture in combating them is so critical to agriculture.”

USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has designated April “Invasive Plant, Pest and Disease Awareness Month” to enlist public support for preventing the spread of a growing number of invasive pests that are feeding on America’s agricultural crops, trees and other plants. These pests have cost the U.S. billions of dollars, wreaked havoc on the environment and can impact public health.

In Maryland, the EAB has been a menace since it was discovered in 2003. A quarantine is in effect for the 14 counties west of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River, making it illegal to transport firewood and ash products to the Eastern Shore where the EAB has not yet been discovered.

“Invasive species, like Emerald Ash Borer, pose big threats to our agriculture and our economy,” said Deputy Under Secretary Blue. “The EAB survey program helps us know where the beetle populations reside, which allows us to make informed decisions about how to control EAB.  And the purple traps are distinctive, so we get a lot of public interest about what they are as well.  Public awareness is a big part of helping control the EAB.”

To learn more about how to recognize an EAB infestation, see: www.mda.maryland.gov/plants-pests/eab or www.hungrypests.com. To report suspect EAB infestation or to ask specific questions, call the University of Maryland Home and Garden Information Center at 800-342-2507 or visit www.hgic.umd.edu.

For a current fact sheet.