Washington State Department of Agriculture to begin trapping pests

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Agriculture is beginning its annual hunt for pests that threaten the state’s environment and agricultural industry, the WSDA said in a press release Wednesday. Trappers will set thousands of traps statewide to monitor for the introduction or spread of over 130 invasive pests and diseases, including spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth), Asian giant hornet, apple maggot and Japanese beetle.

Trappers have already started setting the first traps for Japanese beetle in the Grandview area, where more than 24,000 beetles were trapped last year. Trappers will also place approximately 20,000 spongy moth traps statewide this summer. Both spongy moths and Japanese beetles attack over 300 different types of plants, which could be devastating to the environment and agriculture should they become established, the press release said.

Trapping for Asian giant hornet workers will not start until July when worker hornets should become more active. The WSDA will trap exclusively in Whatcom County. No sightings of the Asian giant hornet have been reported in Eastern Washington.

The WSDA has spent decades trapping for invasive pests that threaten agriculture or the environment, the release said. Their trapping efforts combined with public reports have prevented invasive pests such as the spongy moth and citrus longhorn beetle from establishing in Washington and devastating trees, forests, parks, farms, and gardens, the press release said. Spongy moth has destroyed entire swaths of forests in the eastern U.S. where it is established. State and public efforts have prevented the moth, which was first detected in 1974, from taking up residence in the state for nearly 50 years, the release said.