Monday, October 8, 2007

Heads up: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Baja California

Heads up: Oregon, Nevada, Arizona& Baja California. This is a public service announcement. Look for a moth that looks similar to an Oak Moth that eats oak leaves. However, this moth eats the leaves and needles of about 1000 varieties of plants and trees including but not limited to pine, Oak, redwood, etc. It also is a potential threat to many crops. Since it has obviously traveled beyond California by average people moving ornamental plants that have these moth eggs hiding likely under the leaves of the plants being moving county to county and state to state. Therefore when these 300 to 1500 moth eggs per female moth hatch a whole new infestation will exist wherever that is and whatever state it is in.

Since the Australian Light Brown Apple Moth was only discovered early this year in Alameda county California it is believed by scientists here that it has already been here for several years because it has already been found in 11 or more counties in California. So it is extremely likely that there are pockets of these moths in neighboring states or all even all the way up into Canada or Mexico by now. Since they are such prolific breeders in the number of eggs per female produced you might see 100 or more of them per tree or bush or other plant they are interested in as here in California. They look very much like the Oak moth being brown in color except you will see them in about 1000 or more plant and tree varieties. They will eat all the leaves off of any plant they like and then lay their eggs (I believe) under the leaves of a plant they like. Then people or companies take these plants to other states or counties and the problem starts all over again. They remind me a little of what locusts can do only they will do one plant until it is pretty much bare and then move on. Then when they breed and die another generation starts the same process either there or wherever the plants or leaves are transported to.

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