The half-inch moths have driven peace from the lives of Californian farmers. Yes, the apple moths that can ruin everything from tomatoes to citrus fruit to alfalfa have shot into its devastating thousands, which were spotted in the San Francisco Bay area for the first time just three months ago.
The moths usually spread uncontrollably either by laying eggs in nursery plants or by being carried to places hidden inside fruit or plant clippings.
The California counties that are already infested by the destructive moths are Santa Clara, San Mateo, Alameda, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Contra Costa, San Francisco and Marin, where about 3,348 light brown apple moth have already been sighted till last Friday.
To find ways to deal with the insect’s infestation, federal and state agriculture officials assembled a group of international experts in San Jose. And the result –
They have come up with some possible methods like —
Using pheromones to interrupt the moth’s mating cycle by confusing the males,
Releasing sterile moths to help eradicate the moths.
Hope the above methods would prove effective in stopping the moths from destroying acres of fruit and vegetable farms and are applied early enough to let some crops survive the region’s agricultural economy.