| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | CONTACT: Ron Zellar |
| July 21, 2008 | (406) 444-3144 |
EDITORS'NOTE: Two photos to accompany this or the related article can be
downloaded at http://agr.mt.gov/news/jamie_trap1.jpg
or http://agr.mt.gov/news/jamie_trap2.jpg.
Caption: Intern Jamie Hollett installs scented lures in a trap designed
to collect exotic wood boring insects.
Billings Bug Blitz Seeks to Educate Homeowners
HELENA, BILLINGS, Mont. -- A half dozen students will be delivering bags containing pamphlets, balloons and pencils this week in a north-central Billings neighborhood. But, although it is a political season, the campaign won't be on behalf of a candidate.
The students, interns for the Montana Department of Agriculture, will educate Billings residents about invasive pests that could pose major risks to landscape plants and ornamental trees in the Magic City and throughout Montana.
Japanese Beetles were first discovered about six years ago near Billings' Logan International Airport. The insects are common in Midwestern states and are attracted to the scent of jet fuel, which has led to the establishment of new populations in western states. Small concentrations of the beetles have been found in an area just south of the airport. The beetle and its larvae damage turf and a wide range of landscape plants and ornamentals.
Eradication efforts involving pesticides have been undertaken by Montana
State University-Billings, the City of Billings and the Hilands Golf Club
in an effort to prevent establishment of a resident Japanese beetle population.
Success of the control efforts will determine whether Montana maintains
its special export status, indicating that Montana either does not have
the pest or is eradicating it. Wyoming and Colorado have established Japanese
beetle populations and no longer are able to claim the designation, which
is important to nurseries that export plants.
Emerald ash borer, another pest not yet found in Montana, could wipe out
the state's most common deciduous tree species, green ash, as well as several
related tree species if it became established.
The emerald ash borer was found in Michigan in 2002, and now infests several states and Canadian provinces. Improper movement of firewood from quarantined areas is the most common means of spreading the emerald ash borer population, which travels naturally only a few miles per year. (Another type of ash borer, also called the lilac borer, is indigenous to Montana and is far less destructive.)
"We definitely want to prevent emerald ash borers from reaching Montana or delay their entry as long as possible because green ash trees are such a good fit for our often unpredictable spring weather," said Ian Foley, state entomologist and supervisor of the four interns who will be conducting the education blitz on July 21-25.
One of these interns, Jamie Hollett, a Montana State University junior, has placed 117 ash borer traps in communities throughout the state (see related story on interns). People often ask what the large triangular, purple objects are, Hollett said. A couple have been damaged or destroyed, but people generally are pleased to learn about the monitoring effort once it is explained, Hollett said.
It is important for the Montana Department of Agriculture, which conducts the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Surveys for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to obtain as broad and accurate a survey as possible to assure that Montana does not have nationally recognized pests, said Donna Rise, chief of the department's Pest Management Bureau.
The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service maintains a prioritized pest list with several hundred entries, but many of those are not found in Montana, Foley said. The department is using seven types of insect traps this year to monitor for species of interest. In addition to Japanese beetle and emerald ash borer, the surveys look for pests that could limit exports to other states and countries, including potato nematodes, karnal bunt of wheat and cereal leaf beetle, which affects small grain crops and is found in about half of Montana's counties.
For additional information about the Billings education effort, contact Ian Foley at (406) 444-9430.
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