Following in the footsteps of the federal government, the state of California has decided to focus on controlling the spread of the light brown apple moth rather than eradicating it.
On Tuesday the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the policy shift along with its plans not to pursue aerial spraying of pesticide. Instead, the department intends to use ground-based measures and sterile moths.
Vindicating critics of the moth abatement plan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture determined last week that attempts to eradicate the pest were futile and that it would settle for controlling it. But USDA officials rejected requests to downgrade the threat status of the moth, which has driven all the eradication activity up to this point. Read more at the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
LBAM Effort Downgraded
Such a little critter, such a big to-do.
