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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 2001 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 2001 in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and the Atlantic. 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; 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 and 30 sites in the Atlantic (map). In addition to the above, separate Tomicus-specific surveys (sites with %-pinene baited traps only) were conducted in New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec (see section on Pine Shoot Beetle). No exotic target species were trapped during this survey in 2001.
See also CFS Biodiversity Studies:www.pfc.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/biodiversity/exotics/
This pest of Allium spp. is native to Europe and Asia and was first reported in North America in 1997 where it was found in the Ottawa area.
In 2001, the CFIA conducted pheromone trapping and visual surveys at commercial and hobby farms in Ontario (map)(44 sites) and Quebec (map) (16 sites). A. assectella was found at three hobby farms in west Quebec near the town of Thurso and four farms in eastern Ontario. All of the farms are small producers or hobbyists and all, including the Quebec finds, are within about 40 km of Ottawa. No positives were recorded in the large commercial vegetable production areas of southern Quebec or Bradford, Ontario.
For more information visit the NAPPO pest Alert Site (http://www.pestalert.org)
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.
Surveys for OFM have been carried out in British Columbia (map) for many years and employ pheromone baited wing traps. A new dispenser (flexlure) that provides a 2 month release of the OFM pheromone was used with the benefit of reduced trap visits by staff. The area of fruit production in BC is the Okanagan Valley where the majority of trapping takes place. A total of 145 traps were placed (Fraser Valley 25 traps, Vancouver Island 20 traps and the Interior of BC, 100 traps). No OFM were detected in British Columbia. No traps were placed in the prairie provinces due to lack of commercial stone fruit production.
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 in the town of Doyles in 2001.
Prince Edward Island (map). Increased moth captures were again observed in P.E.I. in 2001. Among the 442 traps placed, 214 moths were captured in 114 positive traps (compared to 80 moths in 46 traps in 2000). Multiple trap captures were concentrated on the west side of Charlottetown with maximum trap capture of eight moths in a single trap. 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. Highest moth captures were recorded in Colchester, Cumberland and Hants Counties, where 26, 36 and 27 moths were captured per County, respectively. In all other positive counties, total moth captures per County ranged from 1-4 moths.
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).
For the first time since 1981, the gypsy moth caused defoliation significant enough to be observed for the air, according to NBDNRE surveillance. About 374 ha of hardwood stands were affected mainly in the Grand Lake area. Damage was most evident on oak, poplar and birch. For more details on this damage, visit the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy web site.
In addition to provincial aerial surveys, cooperative trapping surveys were conducted by number of federal and provincial agencies. 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 under 350 sites were trapped as follows: CFIA (196), CFS/Parks Canada (41), NBDNRE (110), 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.
Moth captures showed an increase over the previous three years and for the first time in many years. And defoliation was observed in about 374 ha of hardwood forest within a gross area of 1100 ha. In addition to pheromone trapping, egg mass surveys were conducted at 240 sites in the province. Egg mass counts increased in 2001, particularly in the Grand Lake and Washademoak Lake areas. New egg masses were found at five sites outside of the current regulated areas (Kings County - Westfield and Kingston Parishes, and Queens County - Hampstead Parish).
Québec. Surveys for NAGM were not conducted by CFIA staff in 2001. According to 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 2001, 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. According to CFS aerial survey information, the total area of moderate-to-severe defoliation decreased to 7,345 ha from 18,732 ha in 2000 (see graph below). Most of the defoliation was observed in or near the City of Sudbury. Further information on specific areas of defoliation can be obtained from the Canadian Forest Service in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In addition to the CFS surveys, the CFIA trapped 182 sites in northwestern Ontario from White River to Kenora. No gypsy moth males were captured west of Thunder Bay. To the east of Thunder Bay, 13 moths were captured all sites trapped only 1 or 2 moths.
Overall, the pattern of trap captures in northern Ontario has changed little in the past 5-6 years. Multiple moth captures decrease with increasing distance from the north shore of Lake Huron. Few or no moths are caught in northwestern Ontario and areas beyond the native range of red oak.
Western Canada: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia
Annual surveys are conducted for Gypsy Moth in Western Canada. The only province where GM has been a problem is British Columbia where eradications have been conducted as necessary since 1979. The B.C. Government takes the lead in eradicating populations that are moving toward establishment . The CFIA continues to take responsibility for the detection and identification of GM populations within the provinces of Western Canada. CFIA uses "Delta" traps with "Disparlure" pheromone at varying densities.
Traps were placed in all four Western Canadian provinces in 2001 as shown in the following table:
| Province 2001 |
# Traps |
# Male Moths |
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| British Columbia | Vancouver Island |
1255 |
5 |
| Lower Mainland |
4200 |
5 |
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| Interior |
683 |
1 (Chase) |
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| Alberta | North |
301 |
0 |
| South |
186 |
0 |
|
| Saskatchewan |
165 |
2 (Saskatoon) |
|
| Manitoba |
220 |
0 |
|
| Totals |
7010 |
0 |
2001 Gyspy Moth Treatments in British Columbia:
Sechelt – Mass trapping was carried out for the 2nd year at 9 traps/ac in an approximate grid at a ¼ mi radius around 2000 positive trap catches. An additional ½ mi radius was trapped at 36 traps/mi2. Nine males trapped in 2000 and zero males in 2001
North Delta – A 34 ha. ground spray program was done with home owners permission ( 95% compliance) Treatment was 3 sprays at 50 BIU of Btk/ha. 8 males and 3 egg masses were found in the area in 2000; 3 males in three traps in 2001.
Specific trapping for Asian Gypsy Moth is not separated out from the NAGM in the B.C. trapping grid. Pheromone traps are placed in all port areas at a rate of one per square mile or higher. All males trapped are DNA tested by PCR. No Asian Gypsy Moths were detected in 2001 in B.C.
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
A co-operative field survey between Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development took place during late May and June in Southern Alberta. In total 176 sites were surveyed consisting mostly of wheat, barley and grass headlands and ditches with negative results. CFIA staff surveyed 72 fields representing 2552 hectares, while the provincial staff surveyed 104 sites.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan
In Manitoba 68 fields were surveyed in municipalities, mainly along the southern border. In Saskatchewan, 77 fields were surveyed. The majority of fields surveyed in both provinces were in cereals. No O. melanopus were found in 2001 in either of these provinces.
British Columbia
Only the isolated grain growing region in the southeast Creston Valley of B.C., just north of Idaho, has been found with O. melanopus. The 2001 survey found that infestation levels in the Creston area varied with one field requiring treatment this past year.
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 2001, 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, on August 8 Halifax (map) municipal staff reported beetles eating ornamental plantings in and around a downtown park. The species were confirmed as P. japonica and the CFIA placed 50 traps within a 1-2 km radius of the park. The pattern of trap captures strongly suggested that the Park (about 1 hectare in size) was the epicentre of the infestation. Beyond a distance of 300 meters from the park only 5 traps were positive and, with one exception, all contained only one beetle per trap. Given the apparent concentration of the infestation, the fact that the park site is in an urban core with little suitable host material around and that Nova Scotia is otherwise an non-infested province, a local task force has decided to attempt to eradicate the beetle.
In Quebec and Ontario (map), delimitation surveys were conducted, mainly at importing/exporting nurseries in counties adjacent to the regulated areas. Nearly all major exporting and wholesale nurseries are now within the regulated areas of these provinces.
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.
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 (map). 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 2001.
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 2001. 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 2001.
Quebec (map) In Quebec, over 1150 traps were placed at 427 sites. Two of these included intensive delimitation trapping within 25 km of the finds in 2000 near Bromont and St. Antonin, both of which were well beyond previous known finds. Rhagoletis mendax was found again at each of the Bromont and St. Antonin sites. In addition a new site was recorded at a site on the south side of the Gaspé peninsula near the village of Bonaventure where a single adult fly was captured at a managed lowbush plantation. All other survey sites outside of the regulated areas were negative.
Ontario (map). In Ontario, trapping was conducted at 32 sites in 2001. With the exception of two wild sites containing wild Vaccinium, all trap locations were commercial highbush plantations. This represents about one third of the commercial highbush growers in the province. Rhagoletis mendax was not found at any sites in 2001, 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.
An annual survey for apple maggot has occurred for many years in British Columbia (map) and the insect has not been found by trapping or from grower samples. A cooperative survey involving the CFIA, BC Ministry of Agriculture and the BC Fruit Growers takes place in apple producing areas and in urban high risk areas. Since 1999, sticky plasticized red spheres have been used for trapping replacing the traditional yellow sticky board traps which proved very attractive to a non target species, the snowberry maggot. The use of the spheres has significantly reduced the workload required for identification of target species. In 2001, over 300 sites were trapped and no R. pomonella were captured.
Please visit the CFIA Brown Spruce Longhorned Beetle site.
In early 2000, the Brown Spruce Longhorn Beetle (BSLB) was been identified by the Canadian Forest Service (CFS) to be the causal agent of red spruce mortality in Point Pleasant Park in the Halifax Regional Municipality. Point Pleasant Park is 75 hectares in size and is located in the heart of Halifax. This is the first known interception of this invasive forest pest in North America. It is believed that this pest arrived in Canada in solid wood packing material via the port of Halifax which is immediately adjacent to the park.
The CFIA has established a task force and is working closely with Natural Resources Canada-Canadian Forest Service, Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and the Halifax Regional Municipality staff.
CFIA and Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources staff are conducting ground surveys in Halifax to determine the distribution of BSLB. These agencies have visually inspected virtually all spruce trees within a 10-12 km radius of what is believed to be the epicentre of the infestation (Point Pleasant Park). In addition, a band at the 18-20 km radius was inspected at 100%. In total, over 800 km² of terrain has been surveyed and over 3500 trees removed since May of 2000. Most of the infested trees were within 5 km of the epicentre. To date, the furthest infested tree found was about 19.5 from the infestation epicentre in the Sackville area.
In addition to the Nova Scotia program, a national survey was conducted in the fall and winter of 2001, focusing on ports and dunnage disposal and storage areas. The survey followed a training session in Nova Scotia and consisted of a visual inspection for symptoms of attacked trees (streams of resin scattered along the trunk; 4 mm holes in the bark; and networks of feeding tunnels just under the bark, up to 6 mm across and filled with sawdust-like material). No pheromone or effective trapping is available for. All spruce trees over 15cm dbh within 3 km of bulk facilities in port areas, wood dunnage recycling facilities and landfills were visually examined in the winter of 2001-02. Resinosis was used as an indicator of spruce trees to be examined and any tree with unexplained resin streaming was re-examined by specialist teams including professional forest entomologists. Thousands of trees have been examined across Canada with no BSLB reported outside of Nova Scotia.
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.
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 New Brunswick, three sawmills that import pine logs from the US were also trapped. No T. piniperda were found in these regions.
Quebec (map).Delimitation surveys for this pest continued in 2001. The CFIA conducted Lindgren funnel trapping and visual surveys at 357 sites outside of the previous year’s quarantine zone. . 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 11 sites with only single beetles captured at each site. A single adult was captured for the first time north of the St. Lawrence River near the town of St. Jovite. Given that is find is north of the St. Lawrence and well removed from the known infested Counties, intensive delimitation surveys will be implemented in 2002.
Ontario (map).Extensive delimitation surveys were conducted by the CFIA and Canadian Forest Service (CFS) in eastern and northern Ontario in 2001. All sites were outside of the previous year’s quarantine zone. 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 as well as in Parry Sound District. 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). |
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources initiated control actions (tree destruction) on a group of infested stands concentrated in the Bracebridge area, Muskoka District. These sites were primarily un-managed Scots pine stands on both public and private land.
New T. piniperda finds were recorded in the CFIA trapping program in Prince Edward County, and a single site at the southern end of Parry Sound District. Prince Edward County and Muskoka District were added to the list of regulated areas. The CFS caught two beetles in mid-May in a trap located just east of the town of Sturgeon falls. Two follow-up visual surveys later in the summer at the Sturgeon Falls location did not detect any more beetles or evidence of damage. This site is the northernmost record ofT. piniperda in Ontario and is a concern because of it’s relative proximity to commercial jack pine forests further north. Intensive surveys are planned for 2002 in the Sturgeon Falls area and Parry Sound District. The CFS conducted a additional visual surveys at 118 locations throughout Ontario. There were no new finds outside of the currently regulated area other than those reported above.
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 (map) trapping and visual surveys were conducted in abandoned orchards and fruit farms at 22 sites in the Annapolis Valley. In Quebec (map), both trapping and visual surveys were conducted at 48 sites. The targeted areas included importing nurseries, unsprayed orchards and areas with abandoned trees. In Ontario (map), surveys were conducted at 74 sites, including commercial orchards, abandoned orchards, nurseries and garden centres, in 15 Counties throughout southern Ontario. Yponomeuta malinellus was not detected in any trap or visual surveys in 2001.
Zeuzera pyrina was found in 2001 in the Niagara Region of Ontario. Although there have been anecdotal accounts of the leopard moth in Canada since the 1950's, the 2001 find is the first confirmed report. This moth is native to Europe and the Near East and was introduced to the United States in the 1880's. It is now established in most states of the U.S. Northeast. An adult moth and larvae tunneling in the wood of young ash trees (Fraxinus sp.) were discovered in July, at two residential properties south of Vineland, Ontario, in one of Canada's major fruit-growing regions Follow-up surveys in August, consisting of trace-back investigations and pheromone trapping, failed to uncover additional specimens. Additional trapping is planed for 2002 to determine the extent of the infestation.
For more information visit the NAPPO pest Alert Site (http://www.pestalert.org)
Anisogramma anomala, is a serious fungal pathogen and the causal agent of Eastern Filbert Blight (EFB) on Corylus or Filbert trees. It affects the production of Filbert or Hazel nuts by causing dieback in nut bearing branches. EFB is established in Eastern Canada and the USA and in the West in Oregon and Washington States. Canada regulates the importation of Corylus plant material into B.C. to prevent the entry of the disease. In B.C., production amounts to one thousand tonnes harvested from 800 acres. The orchards are centred around Chilliwack and Agassiz. The varieties grown in B.C. are described as susceptible to highly susceptible to EFB.
In 2000, EFB was found in northern Washington State in a nuttery bordering on the International Boundary. This find precipitated a survey in 2001 which was carried out by the BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Commercial and non commercial trees adjacent to the U.S. infection were examined as well as commercial producers at various site in the Fraser Valley. The CFIA inspected Corylus material in nearby nurseries. The disease was not found during that survey.
In 2002 a follow-up survey along the US border detected the disease. On February 28th, 2002, a CFIA survey crew examined a group of five Corylus trees on a roadside in Abbotsford, BC and found two trees suspected of having EFB. The samples were confirmed as A. anomala by CFIA on March 4, 2002. A further four properties with suspect trees were found March 4-13, 2002. All four are within a 3 km radius of the initial find.
A delimitation survey of commercial and feral trees in the immediate area was completed as of March 13, 2002. The survey involved inspecting filbert trees within 6 km east and 6 km west of the initial find along the Canada/US border encompassing properties anywhere from 1-3 km north of the border. This infection is the first find of EFB in the province of B.C. and is about 1 km north of the Washington State infection site.
Oak Wilt disease, Cerratocystis fagacearum is a very serious fungal disease of oaks. It is commonly found in several states bordering Canada but is not known to occur in Canada. Because of the threat to oak forests in Canada, particularly in southern Ontario, regulations have been implemented pertinent to the import of oak trees and products from the United States. Under a short-term MOU between the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Canadian Forest Service (CFS), the CFS agreed to provide support in the form of an oak wilt survey in areas of southern Ontario deemed to be at high risk in the year 2001.
The survey consisted of locating stands of susceptible species and collecting samples from trees exhibiting signs and symptoms of Oak Wilt (OW). Surveys were to be conducted at suitable locations near the three border crossings into southern Ontario: namely Windsor, Sarnia and the Niagara area as well as in the vicinity of mills importing oak material from infected areas of the US. In addition the survey was to provide the opportunity to examine oak stands for the presence of Sudden Oak Death, a newly discovered fungal disease of oaks currently ravaging coastal areas of California.
The timing of the survey coincided with when it was thought that the most symptoms of the disease would be evident. Recently killed and older dead trees were examined for any telltale symptoms of OW such as pressure pads. The bulk of the surveys were conducted in July and continued on throughout the summer whenever field staff were in or near stands of oak.
The survey was carried out as a cooperative effort between the Forest Health Monitoring Unit (FHMU) of the CFS and the Forest Health and Silviculture Section of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) along with the support of the CFIA. All samples were put on ice and sent to the laboratory in Sault Ste. Marie for diagnostic examination.
A total of sixty locations were examined in the survey. The bulk of the locations were within the high risk area of concern near the border crossings in southwestern Ontario (map). In addition there were a number of inspections performed in areas beyond. Checks were carried out as far north as Petawawa in eastern Ontario. Southern Ontario field staff, with this experience of this survey and training are now fully cognizant of OW. The resulting benefit is that examinations for OW are now being performed on an ongoing basis.
All results at the sixty locations examined were negative for Oak Wilt. The results were also negative for Sudden Oak Death.
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). An outbreak of Chrysanthemum White Rust (CWR) discovered in 2000 limited to backyard gardens (hobbyists) in Victoria, Vancouver Island, BC is under active eradication . A follow-up survey in the fall of 2001 resulted in the destruction of one further private collection. The Chrysanthemums grown by hobbyist collectors are very different from the commercial hardy outdoor mums, pot mums and cut spray mums.
In early October, 2001, CWR was discovered in commercial greenhouses in the lower mainland of BC. A full scale trace back and trace forward survey was undertaken of all mum growers in the area. In total, nine operations were found with infected material and eight placed under quarantine. All infected material in the greenhouses together with buffer zones, as appropriate, were destroyed. Destruction was followed by deep burial, incineration or steaming of greenhouse beds. Growers applied fungicides to remaining plants as required in the eradication protocol.
During the early stages of eradication, infected material was shipped to the BC Flower Auction, the major marketing venue for much of the commercial flower and plant production in the lower mainland. CFIA staff inspected material arriving at the auction, and had to quarantine several loads of mums and co-mingled shipments. All materials quarantined at the auction were safeguarded and then destroyed by incineration.
Two Municipal Districts, Chilliwack and Richmond were quarantined pending eradication with restrictions placed on all movement of mum material. The Canadian Greenhouse Certification Label program to the US was suspended in the quarantine zones and phytosanitary certificates were required for all mum exports. The quarantine was lifted on the Municipal District of Richmond in December 2001.
Common threads were followed from similar grower sources out to other growers and retailers in an effort to find the infection source. As with other outbreaks of CWR in Canada and the US, the original infection source was never found. It is speculated that the disease may have originated in hardy outdoor mum varieties, although both pot mums and cut spray mums were also found infected. There are no links from the commercial growers to the previous CWR infections in hobbyist gardens in BC
A multi-stakeholder task force was formed to make recommendations on actions to deal with this outbreak. The BC Provincial government, Flowers Canada, BC Flower Auction, Mum growers and CFIA staff worked to create a CWR Eradication Protocol, which brought together the most recent information and strategies from Europe and the USA. The protocol details the type of treatments recommended based on the type of Chrysanthemum crop, proximity to other varietals, level of infection and eradication actions needed to regain a disease free status.
A 2002 survey for CWR is planned for September till frost in commercial houses in the Fraser Valley and hobbyists’ collections in Victoria.
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 2001, twelve farms were surveyed with 10-30 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
Table 1. PPV-susceptible Prunus samples collected in Canada in 2001
| Province | # samples | # Positive Growers* | # Positive Blocks* |
| Ontario | 137,117 |
7 (new in 2001) 58 (2000 & 2001) |
26 (new in 2001) 135 (2000 & 2001) |
| British Columbia | 9200 | 0 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | 1175 | 0 | 0 |
| Quebec | 350 | 0 | 0 |
| * May represent more than one farm location |
| ** Over 11000 trees removed (21 entire blocks) as of Jan. 2002. |
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