WPDN News and Pest Update
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The brown marmorated stinkbug (BMSB) has continued its inevitable spread and was found in early September in downtown Sacramento CA, just south of the state capitol. It has been present in southern CA south of the Tehachapi Mountains since 2006. Most of Oregon and southern Washington are already infested with this stinkbug. The BMSB is a serious threat to agriculture as well as being a structural nuisance in the fall and winter. There are two very amazing photos of BMSB “aggregating” on a tree in Sacramento. Sudden oak death (SOD) continues to spread both in the natural environment and through the nursery trade. The article on SOD updates the scientific and the regulatory aspects of the pathogen and disease. The feature article is about invasive fruit flies. Dr. Jason Leathers of the California Department of Food and Agriculture describes the most serious exotic fruit flies, biology, modes of entry, and regulatory action taken in response to them.