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The Washington State Department of Agriculture is looking for local input as a quarantine is developed to fight the spread of the Japanese beetle in the Grandview area. In 2020, three Japanese beetles [Popillia japonica] were caught in south central Washington. Between May and October of 2021, WSDA trappers caught over 24,000 beetles. Each beetle can lay up to 100 eggs, so populations can increase quickly if not kept in check.

The WSDA’s Amber Betts said the quarantine is part of a larger eradication plan.

"We already have a quarantine for the state. It's an external quarantine, which means that we regulate products coming from known areas with established Japanese beetle populations. We're going to propose to amend that quarantine to also include a 49 square mile grid around Grandview, Washington."

Betts adds the goal of the proposed quarantine is to prevent the Japanese beetle from spreading from infested sites in Benton and Yakima counties.

"For year-round items, it would be soil, compost, growing media, manure, yard debris, bulbs, plant crowns and those kind of things. During the adult flight season, which is from May to October, we would also be regulating and restricting the movement of cut flowers, hop bines, and corn stalks or harvest silage."

WSDA is offering a survey that will aid in putting together a Small Business Economic Impact Statement.  The impact statement will asses what the restrictions would do to local businesses and identify which businesses could be disproportionately affected by the quarantine. For those businesses that are ultimately affected by the quarantine, mitigation factors such as financial support may be possible.

To have your thoughts known, contact the WSDA.

If you have a story idea for the PNW Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekmedia.com

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