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JANUARY 2017 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


15


Non-native stink bug poses threat to fruit growers “Like SWD on steroids”


government by PETER MITHAM


KELOWNA – BC fruit growers are bracing for the spread of a new alien pest with the discovery of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in chokecherries alongside the Penticton channel.


“They went down and investigated and trapped; they found them,” said Hank Markgraf, grower services manager with BC Tree Fruits Co-operative in Kelowna.


Provincial staff who investigated the pest’s presence also found evidence of over-wintering. The detection in Penticton follows intermittent interceptions in the Lower Mainland over the past few years. Reports from urban areas in the Lower Mainland suggest that small populations have established themselves in some urban areas. The pest has been present in southern Ontario and the Niagara Peninsula since 2012. The bug’s advent in the Okanagan is a cause for concern among fruit growers.


An invasive insect native to Asia that was first detected in North America near Allenstown, Pennsylvania in 1998, it has since spread across North America. It is a leading cause of damage to tree fruits in the US Northeast, and many fear it could inflict significant damage on orchards across the Pacific Northwest.


“It’s like SWD on steroids,” Markgraf says, referring to Spotted Wing Drosophila, a pest that has been a particular problem for growers of berries and cherries. “The potential for this guy to move and take hold is greater than for SWD, mostly because he likes all fruits whereas SWD is selective.” BC Ministry of Agriculture entomologist Susanna Acheampong, who has been heading up provincial initiatives regarding the bug, referred questions to


communications staff, who provided a written statement from Acheampong that highlighted the threat the pest presents.


“Based on experience in other regions, we know that Brown Marmorated Stink Bug can cause serious economic issues for agricultural crops,” she said. “In the eastern USA, Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is known to have caused serious damage by feeding on apple crops, and grapes and berries on the West Coast.”


Damaged fruit is unmarketable and Acheampong said it also becomes vulnerable to other pests as well as disease. A few pests can also taint wine, she said, although researchers in


Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is distinguished from native stink bugs by its bent antennae and distinctive white bands along its antennae and legs.


Washington say there is little discernible impact until an infestation totals four bugs per cluster. Given standard planting densities, that amounts to 64,000 bugs an acre – a level that Elizabeth Beers, an entomologist at Washington State University in Wenatchee, describes as “a truly massive infestation.”


The good news is that it takes time for populations to develop to a point where the bugs begin moving into agricultural areas. Washington growers have yet to log any significant damage from the pest, barring a handful of


u-pick operations within the city limits of Vancouver,


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Washington. Beers said the moist, temperate coastal climate is likely more amenable to the bug than the vacillating climate of areas such as the arid Columbia and Okanagan valleys. “I’m not expecting a lot of impact,” Markgraf told Country Life in BC. “From what we’ve seen in other areas, it always takes two or three or four years before it gets established and gets going and gets moving. The thing is, could I stretch that out to five or six years?”


The extra time would buy researchers and growers more time to determine the best control


measure for the pest. There are few pesticides registered in Canada to control the bug and Markgraf would prefer a solution that doesn’t require insecticides, if at all possible. In the meantime, the province and growers are keeping their eyes peeled for the pest to determine how easily it’s going to spread across the Okanagan. The longer it remains at bay, the longer growers have to learn from other regions how to deal with what promises to be the latest newcomer to an otherwise pristine production area.


“We’re not worried but we do want to monitor where it is,” Markgraf says.


Under the Terms of the Bylaws of the Association


Members are Directed to Take Notice of the 128th Annual General Meeting of the


BRITISH COLUMBIA FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION


February 2-3, 2017 At the PENTICTON LAKESIDE RESORT, PENTICTON, BC


THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2017 BUSINESS SESSION (1 PM–5 PM) • Annual Report of the Executive; • Financial statements, budget, and any Special Resolutions; • Annual reports of subsidiaries: • BC Research and Development Orchard Ltd. • Summerland Varieties Corporation;


• Guest speakers and reports of industry organizations and companies; • Committee reports and resolutions for delegate consideration.


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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017 POLICY SESSION (8:30 AM–2 PM) • Guest speakers and reports of industry organizations & companies; • Special reports; • Committee reports and resolutions for delegate consideration; • Election of the BCFGA Executive at 2:00 pm


SOCIAL - A Social will be held on Friday evening. All members and government and industry organization representatives are invited to attend the social from 6 – 8 pm on Thursday, February 2 at the Penticton Lakeside Resort, Penticton.


All members and industry and government representatives welcome. Lunch provided on Saturday.


BC FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION office: 880 Vaughan Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1Y 7E4 250-762-5226 (T) (250) 861-9089 (F) www.bcfga.com


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