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| Plants > Plant Pests > Surveys Summary of Plant Quarantine Pest and Disease
Situations in Canada
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Introduction |
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Entomology
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Mycology
Nematology
Virology
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This report summarizes survey activities conducted in 2000 for plant pests and diseases of quarantine significance to Canada. Survey and pest distribution information provides a basis for regulations and control measures to prevent the spread of these organisms as well as for the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for export. Most of the surveys are conducted for pests listed in Schedule II of the Plant Protection Domestic Regulations, i.e. quarantine pests* which have not yet reached the limits of their potential range in Canada. This report also includes a survey for exotic pests not known to occur in North America but have been intercepted on incoming cargo (see Exotic Bark Beetle Survey).
Most of the information contained in this report was generated by the personnel of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). However, as noted in the text, the report also includes information from surveys conducted by, or in collaboration with, other agencies, notably the Canadian Forest Service (CFS), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Research Branch, and Provincial Departments of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Survey data were compiled, summarized and mapped in Nepean by the survey team of the Plant Health Risk Assessment Unit. Inquiries about these and other non-indigenous pests and diseases may be directed to:
Robert Favrin
Plant Health Survey Co-ordinator
Science Division
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
3851 Fallowfield Road
Nepean, Ontario Canada
K2H 8P9
(613) 998-9320 (ext. 5909)
Email: favrinr@inspection.gc.ca
* Quarantine Pest: “A pest of potential economic importance to the area endangered thereby and not yet present there, or present but not widely distributed and being officially controlled. (Glossary of phytosanitary terms. 1997. International Plant Protection Convention, FAO, Rome).
Interception records in both Canada and the United States show that many pests of wood and living trees, such as bark beetles (e.g. Ips typographus, Tomicus piniperda) and borers (e.g. Anoplophora spp.), can be associated with dunnage and various types of crating material used to support and stabilize cargo during shipping. The wood used for this purpose is often of low quality and may be in many forms, such as, lumber, logs and crating.
In response to the threat of introduction of exotic forest pests by this pathway CFIA developed a dunnage policy directive (D-98-08). The policy requires that port authorities establish designated areas for storage of clean dunnage. Dunnage which has bark attached to it, signs of insect damage or other suspicious symptoms must be disposed of or treated in a manner approved by CFIA. Procedures currently approved include deep burial and incineration. A similar regulation for wooden crating and pallets is also being drafted.
Related CFIA links: Wood packing material, Wood Import Alert
This domestic survey program complements the CFIA import inspection program for wood packing materials in marine containers and to port activities designed to control of wood dunnage and crating disposal. The trapping survey for exotic bark beetles continued in 2000 in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic using trapping protocols and densities similar to those described in 1997. Sites near dunnage storage and disposal areas were the principal targets as well as a number of warehouse locations identified through CFIA import interceptions. A minimum of two traps were placed at each survey site and baited with one of two lures (Ipslure or %-pinene alone; the main target species were Ips typographus and Tomicus piniperda). In British Columbia, traps baited with a high-release ethanol lure was added at each site. About 35 sites were trapped in Ontario (map), 55 in Quebec (map), and 15 sites in British Columbia (map) and 30 sites in the Atlantic. Specimens in the Atlantic and B.C. were screened by CFS-B.C.and CFS-Atlantic. Final diagnostic confirmations were performed by CFIA personnel in cooperation with AAFC. In addition to the above, separate Tomicus-specific surveys (sites with %-pinene baited traps only) were conducted in Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec (see section on Pine Shoot Beetle). No exotic species were trapped during this survey in 2000.
See also CFS Biodiversity Studies:www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/biodiversity/exotics/
Related CFIA ALHB links:
Beetle Alert, Factsheet, Wood packing material, Wood Import Alert
In 2000, field surveys continued around a number of targeted importer facilities in Ontario (map) (258 sites) and Quebec (18 sites). Importer lists were compiled from import information obtained from Canada Customs. Priority was given to companies that had imported high-risk commodities from China in the past 2-5 years.. Host material within a 200-500 meter radius of each facility was visually inspected for signs of Anoplophora damage, (oviposition scars, exit holes, flowing sap, sawdust). The 2000 surveillance activities focused on completing sites targeted in 1999 and on public education and training programs aimed at municipalities, utilities companies, arborists, landscapers and the general public. This domestic survey program complements the CFIA import inspection program for wood packing materials in marine containers and to port activities related to the control of wood dunnage and crating.
There were no confirmed reports of Anoplophora spp. in Canada in 2000.
The Oriental fruit moth attacks various temperate fruit trees and related ornamentals, but its preferred host is peach. Adults emerge from cocoons on dormant stems in the spring and deposit eggs on young twigs. The larvae bore into twigs and cause dieback. As the season progresses and the twigs mature, later generations of larvae bore into ripening fruits, which become unmarketable. Pesticides cannot reach the larvae in their burrows, so wherever the pest occurs growers monitor moth flights carefully and apply multiple sprays of pesticides to kill the adults before they can deposit their eggs.
Native to China and Korea, where the peach tree also originated, the Oriental fruit moth was spread to many temperate fruit-growing areas of the world during the first thirty years of this century. The means of spread between countries was most probably as larvae in cocoons on dormant fruit-tree nursery stock, but spread within each country also occurred with infested fruit and by local moth flight. The insect was discovered in the U.S.A. in 1916. It spread rapidly throughout the country, and into southern Ontario in eastern Canada by 1925. Today, the only commercial peach-growing area of North America believed to be free of the pest is the province of British Columbia. A small infestation was discovered in B.C. in 1956 and eradicated in 1957. The moth has not been found in B.C. since then.
Surveys are conducted annually using Pherocon® 1C wing traps baited with an OFM pheromone. Traps are set in May and monitored weekly or bi-weekly until October. Site selection is biased toward areas having a higher risk of introduction, such as unsprayed and neglected peach orchards, campgrounds, nurseries, packing houses, border crossings, fruit stands and warehouses.
British Columbia (map). Surveys for this pest support claims of pest-free status for import and export requirements. Each year about 150 high risk introduction sites are trapped for this pest in the Okanagan Valley, the Fraser Valley and southern Vancouver Island. As indicated on the map, no Grapholita molesta were detected in British Columbia. 2000.
Gypsy moth is native to Eurasia. Moths originating from eggs originally imported from France were accidentally released in Massachusetts in 1869 and the species quickly became a serious pest. All levels of government co-operated in a control effort and within a few years the insect was almost eradicated. At that point, with the threat no longer obvious, the program was ended and eventually populations increased again. Gypsy moth is now established throughout the northeastern quarter of the U.S.A. In Canada, gypsy moth is established in southern Ontario, southern Québec, southwestern New Brunswick and southwestern Nova Scotia.
This pest can defoliate large areas of forest and has killed and weakened trees in some parts of the northeastern United States, thereby causing major changes in some ecosystems. Preferred hosts are oak, birch and poplar. However, the insect can survive on a wide variety of deciduous tree species. When numerous, the caterpillars are also a nuisance to people and control programs are sometimes required in urban and cottage areas.
Various combinations of federal and provincial government agencies co-operate to detect and control gypsy moth across Canada. The following report provides a general overview of the gypsy moth situation in Canada. It summarizes the activities of all government agencies across Canada relevant to detection and eradication of isolated infestations, or to monitoring expansion of generally infested areas.
Asian Genotype (AGM). The Asian genotype of Lymantria dispar (AGM) is indigenous to the far eastern Asia. Significant phenotypic differences exist between AGM and the North American genotype (NAGM), which is the genotype established in eastern North America. Most notable of these traits is the ability of AGM females to fly. In addition, the Asian genotype has a broader preferred host range, which includes some conifers such as Larix, Picea and Pseudotsuga. There are also phenological differences; for example, up to 25% of AGM egg masses undergo pre-eclosion instead of diapausing, i.e. they hatch in the fall of the year in which they were laid. The two genotypes are difficult to distinguish using traditional morphological examination but it is possible to separate them using DNA analysis. There also appears to be a range of intermediate types in parts of Europe and central Asia.
The first interception of gypsy moths from Asia occurred in 1979 when the Victoria Plant Protection office in British Columbia reported finding egg masses on a Soviet vessel. No further interceptions were made until 1989 when low numbers of egg masses once again were intercepted on Soviet ships. The fall of 1990 was the start of a major effort to resolve this problem. During that winter, a number of Soviet vessels were found to be heavily infested with egg masses. However, no action was required because the weather was too cold for hatching. In 1991, the discovery of large numbers of egg masses on vessels originating from ports in the Primorski Region of Russia ultimately led to a ban of 17 vessels from Canadian waters. It was learned that loading lights shining on the vessels in the ports (Vladivostok, Nakhodka/Vostochny) attracted flying females to the ships and that these egg mass finds coincided with a peak in the Russian Far East gypsy moth population. In 1992, an extensive spray program was carried out in the Vancouver harbour area as part of the Asian Gypsy Moth Eradication plan. A total area of 18,813 hectares was treated with Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.k.) at a rate of 50 BIU/ha. Subsequent surveys in the treatment area caught no moths. Trapping and eradication efforts continue in B.C. and all moths captured outside of regulated provinces are now subjected to DNA analysis to determine genotype. AGM has never been found in provinces other than British Columbia. Vessels entering Canadian waters from the Russian far east are now regulated under Plant Protection Directive D-95-03.
Atlantic Provinces. Trapping programs in this region are aimed at the detection of new infestations (all provinces) and delimitation along the leading edge of the known infested area (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick). Trap results are also used to target areas for fall and spring egg mass searches.
There were no changes to the regulated areas in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in 1999. Regulated areas are listed in Plant Protection Directive D-98-09 which governs movement of Christmas trees to the United States.
Newfoundland and Labrador (map). Approximately 300 delta traps were deployed in the annual detection survey in Newfoundland. Trap sites were selected based on risk of introduction, such as campgrounds, recreational sites, tourist chalets and wooded areas frequented by visitors. Most survey sites were near the towns of Port-aux-Basques, Corner Brook, Gander, and St. John's. A single male gypsy moth was captured at a campground in Gros Morne National Park in 2000.
Prince Edward Island (map). There were increased moth captures in P.E.I. in 2000. Among the 350 traps placed, 80 moths were captured in 46 positive traps. Multiple trap captures were concentrated on the west side of Charlottetown with maximum trap capture of seven moths. Follow-up egg mass searches around positive trap locations did not detect other life stages (egg masses, pupal/larval skins, females).
Nova Scotia (map).
The CFIA and conducted leading edge trapping along the eastern boundary of the regulated area, and detection trapping throughout eastern N.S. In addition, since 1995 the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources has had in place a province-wide network of pheromone traps. Apart from unusually high captures in Cumberland County the overall distribution of trap captures in the province is similar to previous years with captures of 0-4 moths recorded at most sites in eastern N.S. Within the regulated area, NSDNR reported that captures have been increasing since 1995. They also conclude that the elevated captures in Cumberland County are the result of moth blow-in from western N.S., since intensive ground searches by NSDNR failed to uncover life stages other than male moths. Egg mass searches were conducted at three sites in Cape Breton around positive traps and no egg masses were detected.
In addition to the above, traps were placed around ports in Halifax and Shelburne. This was done, to collect moths for genetic analysis as part of a surveillance project to detect any possible incursion of the Asian race of L. dispar. All moths analyzed were identified as the North American genotype.
New Brunswick (maps: trapping; egg mass survey).
Data for the attached maps were assembled from the various cooperators by the Forest Pest Management Section of the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy (NBDNRE).
Trapping surveys were a cooperative effort among federal and provincial agencies. Their activities are summarized below and on the corresponding maps. The majority of the trapping effort focused on 1) delimitation along the leading edge of the infestation and 2) early detection, in areas removed from the infested areas and determined to have a high risk of introduction (importing sawmills, tourist areas). Just over 350 sites were trapped as follows: CFIA (206), CFS/Parks Canada (42), NBDNRE (103), with CFIA focusing on delimitation and NBDNRE and CFS focusing on early detection. The CFIA also trapped five sites around the port of Bayside as part of an Asian Gypsy Moth port monitoring project. Moths captured in these traps were sent for DNA analysis and all specimens were determined to be of the North American genotype.
Trap captures appear to have increased in 2000 over the levels observed in the previous four years. Multiple moth captures in the 2-10 moth/trap range were recorded around the Queensbury Parish quarantine zone, southern Carleton County and a few sites in Fundy National Park. Three traps around Woodstock, Carleton County had moth captures of around 20 moths/trap.
Fall egg mass surveys were conducted by NBDNRE at 181 sites within about 20-30 km of the regulated areas and using a timed-search method. New egg masses were found at 62 sites and 5 sites had old egg masses or other life stages (not male moths). Data on the map shows only those sites where new egg masses were found. Three positive sites were found outside the regulated parishes: Grays Mills, Kingston Parish, King’s County (also reported in 1999), and two sites in Hampstead Parish, Queens County. All these sites are separated from the nearest quarantined parish by narrow (1-3 km) bodies of water and as such do represent significant range extensions based on egg mass data
Québec. Surveys for NAGM were not conducted by CFIA staff in 2000. According to general provincial surveillance information, the overall gypsy moth (NAGM) distribution has not changed significantly in Quebec in a number of years with little to no defoliation observed in the past several years except in a few isolated locations.
Ontario (map).
In 2000, the Canadian Forest Service - Ontario Region, continued trapping in northern Ontario provincial parks as well as conducting aerial surveys for defoliation. Fifty-eight sites were trapped with two traps placed at each site. The pattern of trap captures was similar to that observed for the past few years. The total area of moderate-to-severe defoliation increased to 18,732 ha from 15,399 ha in 1999 (graph). According to CFS aerial survey information, most of the defoliation occurred in the Niagara peninsula and adjacent counties to the west. Further information on specific areas can be obtained from the Canadian Forest Service in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
In addition to the CFS surveys, the CFIA trapped 170 sites in northwestern Ontario from Lake Nipigon to Kenora. No gypsy moth males were captured at the northwestern Ontario sites.
Manitoba & Saskatchewan (map). Just under 350 sites were trapped throughout these two provinces with an emphasis on tourist and urban areas and provincial and national parks. No gypsy moth were captured in 2000.
Alberta (map).As in previous years, nearly 500 sites were trapped at high risk introductions sites, such as tourist areas, provincial parks and in municipalities. The program is a cooperative effort among the federal departments of Agriculture and Forestry and various provincial and municipal agencies. Single male moths were detected in Calgary and near the town of Redwater. Both were subjected to DNA analysis and were determined to have a typical North American genotype.
British Columbia (map). The B.C. Ministry of Forests (BCMF) has taken the lead role in managing the gypsy moth in British Columbia. The B.C. Ministry of Forests web page provides an update on all aspects of the gypsy moth control program in the province. The CFIA, continues to conduct most of the survey work in the province. In 2000, about 8000 traps were distributed across the province with the majority of these on southern Vancouver Island and from Vancouver to Hope. Intensive trapping was conducted around the 1999 spray areas or areas with multiple moth captures as follows:
* Vancouver Island - 16 traps/mi² (6/km ²)
* Delta - 36 traps/mi² (14 per km ²)
* Burnaby - 36 traps/mi² (14 per km ²)
* Sechelt - mass trapping 9 traps/acre² (22.5/ha²)
Otherwise, traps were placed at high risk locations in the Interior or at a density of 1/mi² in the lower mainland and Vancouver Island.
Twenty-five moths were captured in B.C. in 2000 as shown on the attached maps. Nine moths were captured at the Delta and Sechelt sites but in all other locations only single moths were captured with the exception of a site in Chilliwack where two moths were caught. No moths were caught in the Burnaby spray zone where 23 moths were captured in 1999.
All moths captured in B.C. in 2000 were identified as the North American genotype using FS1, mitochondrial genetic markers and a number of microsatellite genetic markers.
The cereal leaf beetle is native to Europe, and is also reported in north Africa and the near east. It is a pest of cereals, grains and various grasses, and may cause significant yield loss in developing or uncontrolled populations. Baled hay or straw, ear or sweet corn, lawn sod, and seeds of grains, soybeans, grass and forage are commodities known to be associated with the cereal leaf beetle, and therefore could create a quarantine problem. The beetle also is a vector of corn lethal necrosis virus. The release of several species of exotic parasites in North America have managed to keep damage below an economic level in most areas.
The cereal leaf beetle is suspected of having been introduced into Berrien County, Michigan, U.S.A. about 1947 via a boat shipment of bricks packed with straw originating from Eurasia where it occurs naturally. This pest spread rapidly throughout the grain growing area of the Great Lakes Region in spite of strict quarantine measures invoked in 1962 when the beetle was actually first identified in the region. Eastern spread of the cereal leaf beetle followed quickly and this movement was facilitated by sufficient availability of suitable host plants, conducive environmental conditions for survival and establishment, and appropriate weather patterns, particularly wind. By 1967, adult beetles were observed in neighbouring Canada in grain fields near Harrow, Ontario. By1971, the cereal leaf beetle had been found through much of Ontario, as far north as Sault Ste. Marie and as far east as Drummondville, Quebec. More recent surveys during 1987 indicated that the cereal leaf beetle had spread to Amqui, Quebec on the Gaspé Peninsula and to Hartland, New Brunswick.
Alberta
Eleven counties were surveyed by Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development between May 24 and July 7/2000. There were 64 fields surveyed for a total of 4080 hectares. Crops surveyed were mostly cereals plus a few acres of grass or hay.
There were no specimens sent for identification this year. As in 1999, weather conditions (very late spring and drought conditions) in Southern Alberta made it difficult to find suitable fields for sampling.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan
In Manitoba 63 fields were surveyed in municipalities, mainly along the U.S. border. In Saskatchewan, 85 fields were surveyed. The majority of fields surveyed in both provinces were in cereals. No O. melanopus were found in 2000 in either of these provinces.
Japanese beetle damages a wide variety of ornamental trees and shrubs as well as lawn turf. It is native to the main islands of Japan, and was first discovered in North America in southern New Jersey (USA) in 1916. The first Japanese beetle found in Canada was in a tourist's car at Yarmouth, arriving in Nova Scotia by ferry from Maine in 1939. The pest was found established in Niagara Falls, Ontario by 1940. In 1994, Canada and the United States jointly developed a regulatory protocol governing the movement of regulated commodities originating from Japanese beetle infested areas. The protocol involves accreditation of greenhouses and nurseries based on trapping, soil sampling, pesticide treatments, inspection and certification. Regulated areas in Canada include the Regional Municipalities of Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk and Hamilton-Wentworth in Ontario and the Municipalités régionales de comté (MRC) of Brome-Missisquoi, Le Haut-Richelieu, Champlain, Roussillon and Bas-Richelieu in Québec.
All surveys were conducted using vaned metal or plastic traps baited with a combination of a sex pheromone and a floral lure. Areas targeted for trapping included nurseries, sod farms, public parks and gardens, airports, truck and railway terminals, golf courses and border crossings. Traps were set in mid-June and collected in mid-September. Typically one trap was placed per site, however, in some cases there were five or more, depending on the site history and proximity to infested areas. Each trap was visited from two to four times throughout the season.
In 2000, detection surveys were conducted at high risk sites in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and British Columbia (map).
No P. japonica were detected in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and British Columbia. In Nova Scotia, a single male beetle was trapped at a nursery in just outside Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley. Traceback investigations did not provide much information into the source of the find. Intensive trapping around the site will be implemented in 2001.
Delimitation surveys were conducted in Quebec (map) and Ontario (map) , mainly at importing/exporting nurseries in counties adjacent to the regulated areas. In Ontario, beetles were trapped at six sites in Middlesex County
two sites in Ottawa and one site in each of Simcoe and Kent Counties. The Kent County was a single beetle find. In Simcoe County eight beetles were caught at a golf course near Midland. This is the first record of P. japonica in that County or general area. Middlesex County and the city of Ottawa are now included in the regulated area under Policy Directive D-96-15. Kent and Simcoe Counties are still under investigation.
In Quebec, beetles were captured at six sites in 2000 but only three of these were out side of regulated areas: Pierrefonds (3 beetles), Notre-Dame-de-l'Ile-Perrot (2 beetles) and Les Cèdres (1 beetle). These sites will be monitored in 2001 but will not likely cause a change in the regulated area in Quebec.
In many parts of its range, blueberry maggot is the most serious insect pest of blueberry fruit. It is native to North America, occurring all along the east coast of the U.S.A. and into the Maritime provinces of Canada, with separate populations in commercial blueberry plantations in Michigan and Wisconsin in the central U.S.A. Rhagoletis mendax became a serious economic pest in the northeastern United States in the early years of this century. In the 1930's, R. mendax was found to be widespread in Nova Scotia and now also is found in Prince Edward Island and southern New Brunswick. Blueberry maggot was found for the first time in Ontario in 1993 and Quebec in 1996. (see below). This report also highlights the first report of blueberry maggot in the Province of Québec. Plant Protection regulations are in effect to prevent the spread of the insect to uninfested blueberry production areas.
Trapping surveys are conducted using yellow Pherocon® AM traps baited with odour attractants (ammonium acetate). Traps are hung in an inverted "V" position with the yellow sticky surface pointed toward the ground. In lowbush blueberries traps are hung so that the bottom is 10-15 cm above the plants. In highbush plantations the traps are placed between plants at mid-canopy height and where fruit is most abundant. Trap locations protected from prevailing winds and within 3 meters of abundant fruit are preferred. Research also has shown that more flies are caught at weedy sites than weed-free sites. Normally traps are set in the latter part of June to capture emerging adults and are monitored through August. Fruit sampling for maggots is conducted in the vicinity of traps suspected of containing R. mendax flies.
Newfoundland. Detection trapping was conducted in eleven areas where lowbush blueberries are commercially harvested in Newfoundland. The major areas surveyed were the Avalon and Bonavista peninsulas, central Newfoundland and near Port aux Basques. No R. mendax flies were detected in Newfoundland in 2000.
British Columbia. The Fraser Valley is the major production area of commercial blueberries in B.C. and prior to 1996 was the only area of the province surveyed for blueberry maggot. The production area in the Fraser Valley is divided into thirds and surveyed on a three-year rotation. Thirty-one sites were trapped in the Fraser Valley in 2000. Traps were also placed on Vancouver Island where six new sites are now coming into production. No R. mendax flies were detected in B.C. in 2000.
Quebec (map) One hundred sites were trapped and fruit sampled throughout the province in 2000, including, 38 commercial plantations, 8 managed lowbush plantations, 38 natural sites and 15 hobby farms. Part of the survey included a large delimitation survey in the St. Thomas area after the discovery of the R. mendax for the first time north of the St. Lawrence River in 1999. A search for wild hosts within 10-km of the St. Thomas site did uncover many locations with abundant host material. All of the wild areas trapped in the area, including a provincial wetland near Lanoraie, were negative in 2000. Two adults were again captured at the plantation at St. Thomas where the 1999 find was recorded. There were three new finds outside of the regulated municipalities in 2000. These included a commercial plantations near St. Polycarpe (1 adult trapped on July 11), and Bromont (1 adult trapped in late August), and a natural site near St. Antonin (trapped August 12th). The St. Antonin site was the most significant find because it is well beyond any previous positive site and is in a natural area removed from commercial blueberry production sites.
Ontario (map). In Ontario, trapping was conducted at about 85 sites in Ontario. Most of these were commercial highbush plantations, however, 3 bog areas were also included in the survey. Rhagoletis mendax was not found at any sites in 2000, including the four previously infested farms. One of the farms without captures was the site of the first find in Ontario (near Port Burwell). Blueberry maggot has not been found on this farm since 1995 and it is possible that the population has been reduced to undetectable levels or has actually been eradicated as a result of the regulatory requirements.
The apple maggot is native to North America, having developed the native species of Rhagoletis that attacks hawthorn (Crataegus sp.). Around 1867, the hawthorn maggot suddenly began to infest domesticated apples, which had been introduced into North America from Europe hundreds of years earlier. The phenomenon was first noticed in New York State. The problem spread rapidly. Apple maggot became a very important insect pest of apple fruit because, without controls, it can ruin the entire crop. It has also been recorded from some other Rosaceous fruits (eg. races exist in the United States which attack cherries and plums).
Apple maggot is now widespread in eastern North America, from Manitoba south into Mexico and in Washington, Oregon, Utah and California. The Florida and Mexico populations may represent distinct races which evolved separately from the northeastern race. It is not known to occur in Newfoundland where an apple industry exists in the Codroy Valley and surrounding areas.
Canada had already developed a thriving apple-export industry before the apple maggot problem developed. In order to protect that industry, joint federal-provincial orchard inspection and export certification programs were initiated, beginning with Nova Scotia in the 1930's. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is still involved in apple orchard certification programs in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario, where inspectors ensure that exported apples are free of the maggot.
British Columbia (map). A detection survey is conducted annually in B.C. to maintain pest-free status and to monitor the constant threat of introduction, particularly from western states. Over 250 sites were surveyed in 2000 using red sphere traps, and R. pomonella was not detected at any of the sites.
Please visit the CFIA Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle site.
Tomicus piniperda is recognized as one of the most destructive bark beetles of pines in its native Eurasia. During the summer of 1992, the United States first reported finding this pest in a Scots pine Christmas tree plantation in Ohio. By the end of that year the beetle had been found in six states in the Great Lakes Region: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and New York. This was the first report of pine shoot beetle being established in North America, although there were Canadian and U.S. interception reports, mainly on dunnage material, as early as the 1960's.
Surveys began in Canada in 1993 and as a result the beetle was found in seven southern Ontario counties. Regulations are in place in both Canada and the United States restricting the movement of pine material from infested counties to uninfested areas.
Trap surveys for this pest are conducted using Lindgren funnel traps (8- or 12-funnel), baited with two a-pinene release devices per trap. No liquid was used in the collection bucket. Traps were in place by mid- to late-March and were checked weekly or bi-weekly until mid-June. Visual inspection surveys were carried out from July to October for signs of damage to host trees, including chlorotic, wilting shoots, characteristic shoot tunnelling and fallen shoots. Stressed and dying trees were examined for galleries and emerging adults in late June and early July.
Infested counties - North America
The list of regulated areas can be found in Appendix 1 of D-94-22.
Maritimes & British Columbia. Pine Shoot Beetle (PSB) detection surveys in these provinces were incorporated in the Exotic Bark Beetle Survey through the use of the %-pinene baited traps. In Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources the also trapped for T. piniperda using %-pinene-baited Lindgren traps at 22 pine plantations throughout the province. No T. piniperda were found in these regions.
Quebec (map).Delimitation surveys for this pest continued in 2000. The CFIA and the Quebec Department of Natural Resources cooperatively conducted Lindgren trapping and visual surveys at 495 sites. Most of the sites were pine stands on private land south of the St. Lawrence River. Surveys were also conducted around sawmills that import pine from the northeastern U.S. Beetles were found at 38 sites with captures ranging from 1 to 600 beetles per site.
Ontario (map). Extensive delimitation surveys were conducted by the CFIA and Canadian Forest Service (CFS) in eastern and northern Ontario in 2000. The CFIA focused on trapping surveys in the counties to east and north of the regulated areas as well as trap lines along the St. Lawrence seaway and six mill sites from Ottawa to Mattawa. The CFS conducted a trapping and visual surveys at 50 sites along the north shore of Lake Huron from North Bay to Sault Ste. Marie. Criteria for survey site selection included:
| a) Sawmills that have received pine logs from infested Counties; |
| b) Stockpiling/sorting sites; |
| c) Christmas Tree Plantations; |
| d) Scots Pine Stands |
| e) Truck stops near pine stands along main roads; |
| f) Pine plantations (especially those with a heavy Scots pine component). |
Visual surveys were also conducted by the CFS at about 50 sites in the Parry Sound District in late August and early September. An infestation was discovered in a 2 km² area north of Bracebridge, Muskoka District. A joint CFIA/OMNR/CFS visual survey was also conducted in late October in an effort to delineate the infestation near Bracebridge. The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources initiated control actions (tree destruction) on the infested stands in this area. These were primarily un-managed Scots pine stands on both public and private land.
In addition to the Bracebridge finds, new T. piniperda finds were recorded in the CFIA trapping program in Frontenac, Haliburton, Hastings, Lennox & Addington, Peterborough, and Parry Sound Counties/Districts. In Parry Sound a single beetle was trapped about 1-2 km north of the Muskoka District border.
Apple ermine moth is a defoliator of apple trees throughout Europe and Asia, as far east as Japan. It was introduced into New York State around 1909, into New Brunswick in 1917 and into Ontario in 1957, but was eradicated in all cases.
In 1981, a single colony of apple ermine moth was collected from a nursery at Duncan, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. A survey of B.C. nurseries in 1982 resulted in the finding of a single small colony in another nursery at Lantzville, also on Vancouver Island. Nursery surveys in subsequent years did not recover Y. malinellus until 1985 when the pest was found to be widespread at Bellingham in the State of Washington, and at Cloverdale in British Columbia. Surveys in 1985 and 1986 established that the insect occurred over large areas of southeastern Vancouver Island, the southwestern corner of the B.C. mainland and adjacent northwestern Washington. It is not known when or where the apple ermine moth was introduced into western North America.
In 1989, apple ermine moth was found for the first time in the Interior of the province of British Columbia at three sites, two north of Kelowna and one near Grand Forks. In 1990 a more intensive survey was conducted to determine the insect's range in the southern interior. Apple ermine moth was subsequently found at many locations, which resulted in a change of domestic regulations. For regulatory purposes, the whole of British Columbia is now regarded as infested, although the insect has not yet spread into the southeastern portion of the province.
Surveys in non-infested provinces concentrate on unsprayed fruit or ornamental Malus trees, such as areas surrounding nurseries, residential areas, neglected orchards and wild trees in fence rows. Nurseries that receive Malus stock from British Columbia are also surveyed. Trapping is conducted from mid-July to September using Pherocon 1C wing traps baited with AEM rubber septum pheromone. Visual surveys are conducted from early spring until July.
In Nova Scotia trapping and visual surveys were conducted in abandoned orchards and fruit farms at sixteen sites in the Annapolis Valley. In Quebec, both trapping and visual surveys were conducted at thirty-four sites. The targeted areas included importing nurseries, unsprayed orchards and areas with abandoned trees. In Ontario, surveys were not conducted for apple ermine moth because of the massive survey response required for Plum Pox Virus in 2000. Yponomeuta malinellus was not detected in any trap or visual surveys in 2000.
European larch canker, caused by the fungus Lachnellula willkommii, is a serious disease in many parts of Europe. The fungus is generally considered to be a primary pathogen and its presence in Europe has resulted in the exclusion of larch from plantation programs. In North America the disease was first found in Massachusetts in the 1920's in plantings of European larch. Periodic eradication attempts appear to have been successful, as the disease was not found during a 1965 survey of the area. However, the disease re-appeared in northeastern Maine in 1981.
In Canada, larch canker was first discovered in the Maritimes in 1980. Surveys were conducted in 1981 to establish the distribution of the disease and it was found to be widespread on native Larix in southeastern New Brunswick and at a number of locations in central and western Nova Scotia. Within the generally infested areas of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia the disease levels are high and commonly affect as many as 75% of the trees. The disease was first found in Prince Edward Island in 1992. It appeared as single cankers in two stands in Prince County and both stands were destroyed that same year. In 1996, the disease was detected again in P.E.I., at a few small sites in southern Prince County. The quarantine zone was extended on P.E.I. and is described in Directive D-97-10. Within the regulated area, the provincial government has been making an effort to reduce or eliminate the disease through sanitation cutting and chipping at the infested sites.
Maritimes (map). Surveys for this disease in the Maritimes are conducted by the Canadian Forest Service (Atlantic Forestry Centre). An update has been published in the Canadian Plant Disease Survey, Vol. 81: 161-162.
Ophiostoma novo-ulmi Brasier
Dutch elm disease can be caused by two species of fungi. The species Ophiostoma ulmi is the more weakly pathogenic of the two species and is now believed to be responsible for the first pandemic of Dutch elm disease that occurred in Europe and North America in the 1920's-40's. Ophiostoma novo-ulmi is a highly pathogenic and aggressive subgroup, responsible for the current pandemics of Dutch elm disease in Europe and North America. The fungus is transmitted chiefly by two elm bark beetles - Hylurogopinus rufipes (Eichh.), a native species, and Scolytus multistriatus (Marsh.), a species indigenous to Europe but widely distributed in North America. In areas with high concentrations of elm, disease transmission can also take place by root grafting.
In Canada, the first infected trees were found in Quebec near St. Ours, Richelieu County, in 1944. When the disease distribution became known in 1945, it was apparent that the port of Sorel was the centre of infection. Subsequent analysis of the early distribution records indicated that the disease was introduced into that area prior to 1940. Since the Quebec outbreak was over 300 km from the northern limits of the disease in the U.S., it was concluded there was a separate introduction into Canada, probably via elm crates carried on ships from Europe.
All species of native North American elm are susceptible and the disease is now occurs in most of the natural range of Ulmus americana from Manitoba to the Maritimes. Dutch elm disease is not known to occur in the three provinces where native elms do not grow: Newfoundland, Alberta and British Columbia. In these provinces, Ulmus is generally confined to landscape plantings around human settlement.
Although still under federal regulation (D-97-07), the CFIA does not actively survey for this disease. However, very extensive detection and control programs are undertaken by various municipal and provincial agencies in Manitoba (http://www.gov.mb.ca/natres/forestry/forest-urban/u-faq.html) Saskatchewan (www.sdeda.ca) and Alberta (www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/prm1043?opendocument).
This disease has progressed throughout the most of the native range of American elm (Ulmus americana) in all provinces except Saskatchewan. Alberta and British Columbia, are outside of the natural range of American elm but this tree has been planted as an ornamental or street tree.
Chrysanthemum white rust is a serious fungal disease of chrysanthemums, especially of the common chrysanthemums of florists, Dendranthema grandiflora. The disease is spread by infected host materials in which the disease can remain systemic but not visible.
The introduction and spread of chrysanthemum white rust could lead to serious losses. The disease can spread rapidly throughout a greenhouse causing complete crop failure. Intensive management and continuous control measures are required where the disease is present. There is evidence that chrysanthemum white rust develops tolerance to certain pesticides used to control the disease. The introduction of the disease could also result in the loss of export markets for chrysanthemums to certain areas such as non-infested states of the United States.
Chrysanthemum white rust probably originated in China and Japan, where it was first reported in 1895. It spread from East Asia to Europe and South Africa in the 1960's. It has since spread throughout Europe and has reached South America and southeast Asia, New Zealand and Australia.
Localized introductions have occurred in North America. In California, eradication activities are being carried out where the disease is known to occur, i.e. in Contra Costa and Santa Cruz counties. In Oregon and Washington states, all infected plants at infected nurseries were destroyed and some delimiting surveys carried out following the detection of the disease in the fall of 1995. The affected counties were Clackamas County in Oregon State, and Clallam and Snohomish Counties in Washington State. There is concern however, that infected mums, especially hardy garden mums from infested nurseries, may have been distributed to dealers in several other counties of Oregon and Washington and thus be present in residential properties in those counties. As a result of introductions of the disease in the states of California, Oregon and Washington, phytosanitary certification of host material imported from these states is now required
In Canada, an outbreak that occurred in a single commercial greenhouse in Ontario was eradicated in 1990. In British Columbia, the disease was detected in 1993 in a limited number of backyard gardens. Trace back, inspection and plant removal activities were carried out.
British Columbia (map). Ongoing surveillance for this disease is maintained through contact with local Chrysanthemum societies and hobbyists as well as surveys in commercial greenhouses. In 2000, Puccinia horiana was found at five properties in the Victoria area and one near Duncan. All diseased plants were found at the private residences of chrysanthemum hobbyists and plants were destroyed by deep burial. Trace-out surveys were conducted at 41 properties and a further 70 properties were included in delimitation surveys around positive sites. No further finds were discovered in the follow-up work.
The soybean cyst nematode, Heterodera glycines was first identified in Kent County, Ontario in August of 1987. As a result of additional sampling surveys in 1987, 1988 and 1989, six Ontario counties were found to be infested with H. glycines (Essex, Kent, Lambton, Elgin, Perth and Russell). In 1995, SCN was first discovered in Haldimand-Norfolk County as a result of grower complaints of unhealthy plants in a number of fields. About twenty fields, mainly around the Port Rowan area, were found to be infested. H. glycines was detected for the first time in Huron county in 1996.
Quebec. Annual soil surveys are conducted on soybean fields in the vicinity of potato processing plants that had imported potatoes from H. glycines-infested states in the U.S., and at selected seed fields. In 2000 twelve farms were surveyed with 10-3o samples collected per farm. All samples were negative for H. glycines, although some contained the clover cyst nematode, Heterodera trifolii, which is not a pest of quarantine significance to Canada.
An update for Little Cherry Virus in British Columbia can be found in the Canadian Plant Disease Survey, Vol. 81: 151.
First identified in Bulgaria, plum pox is now reported in most European countries, in parts of Asia and northern Africa, and in South America (Chile). In October 1999, the D-strain of PPV was discovered on peaches grown in Adams County, Pennsylvania. This was the first report of PPV in North America and prompted the CFIA to initiate surveys in Canada in 2000, which are reported here.
For more CFIA PPV updates click here
Methods: Initially, the survey targeted orchards which had been planted with material imported form Pennsylvania in the past 3-4 years. This material (all peach or nectarine) was distributed among seven growers, one of whom was in Nova Scotia with the remainder in Niagara. In blocks where the Pennsylvania material could be identified, all trees were sampled individually at 12 leaves per tree and each tree considered a separate sample. For a few blocks, the trees imported from Pennsylvania were inter-planted with existing trees and could not be specifically identified. In such cases, the blocks were composite sampled according to a systematic random sampling protocol. The starting point for sampling a block was chosen by randomly selecting the start tree from among the first four trees in one corner of the block. Each composite sample contained 12 leaves collected from a group of four consecutive trees in a row (3 leaves per tree). Twelve trees were then counted and skipped followed by the collection of another composite sample from the subsequent four trees. This pattern was continued throughout the entire block so that 25% of the trees were included in composite samples. The composite sampling protocol was the principal survey method used for the national detection survey which was implemented after the discovery of the first PPV positive.
A triple antibody sandwich (TAS-ELISA) was used as the main diagnostic method in the
survey (monoclonal antibody: 5B-IVIA, Durvis s.I, Spain). Details of the methodology are
described in the CFIA ,Centre for Plant Health test protocol TF0001-01.
Samples were tested at three CFIA laboratories (Sidney, B.C., Charlottetown, P.E.I. and
Nepean, Ontario). Sample preparation support was provided by laboratories of Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada in Summerland, British Columbia and Vineland, Ontario.
Results and Comments: On June 23, 2000, the CFIA confirmed the presence of PPV in the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. PPV was discovered in three ‘Fantasia’ nectarine trees in two commercial orchard blocks owned by two different growers, located about 3 km apart. Laboratory testing by the CFIA’s Centre for Plant Health in Sidney, B.C. confirmed the virus was PPV strain-D.
A large-scale survey was implemented that included all the main stone fruit production areas in Canada. Cherries were excluded from the survey because they are not susceptible to the common strains of PPV. Table 1 summarizes the numbers of samples collected in each of the provinces involved. The majority of the samples were collected as part of a national PPV detection survey or from delimitation surveys around positive blocks using the composite method described above. In total, 70-100% of the commercial stone fruit production in Ontario was sampled in most of the production districts. In Quebec and Nova Scotia all commercial stone fruit orchards were sampled and in British Columbia about 30% of the production was randomly selected for inclusion in the survey. The figures in Table 1 also include a small number of individual-tree samples collected from all mother blocks across Canada, as well as a survey of 15% of the saleable PPV-susceptible nursery stock (fruit tree and ornamentals) within the Niagara region.
Table 1. PPV-susceptible Prunus samples collected in Canada in 2000
| Province | # samples* | # positive site locations | # positive samples |
| Ontario | 100914 | 57¹ | 947 |
| British Columbia | 9043 | 0 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 1377 | 1 | 4§ |
| Quebec | 784 | 0 | 0 |
| * Figures include individual-tree sampling, composite samples, as well as a small number of samples collected for strain typing and ad hoc inquiries. |
| ¹ 53 in the Niagara Peninsula, 2 near Blenheim, 1 near Simcoe, and 1 near Fonthill (all sites were comprised of blocks in commercial fruit orchards with the exception of one sample taken from a block of fruit tree nursery stock planted within a commercial orchard) |
| § In the initial survey in Nova Scotia, a single positive composite was detected. The block containing the positive was re-sampled on an individual tree basis (each tree being a separate sample) and three additional trees tested positive. |
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