Mothra vs California

In “Mothra vs Godzilla,” Mothra devastates a city while in its larval stage only to re-emerge from its cocoon to join Batra in the fight against Godzilla. Together they save society at large and the terrified citizens go from fear of Mothra to understanding and living in harmony with it.

Well, Mothra has come to California.   

The Light Brown Apple Moth was found in Alameda County last year. The State of California is planning to aerially spray a biochemical mating disrupter, CheckMate, over most Bay Area counties starting in August 2008. The FruitGuys is providing this online resource for our readers who want to know more about this complex issue. We will be looking for honest and truthful information from all perspectives and presenting it. Our goal is to look at all sides of this issue and determine what is real, what is hype, what options we have to deal with Mothra, and what is, ultimately, in the Chief Banana's opinion, the safest choice. 

The Light Brown Apple Moth

News about planned aerial spraying to control the spread of the Light Brown Apple Moth (Epiphyas postvittana) in California has been in the headlines lately. These small moths measure only one-quarter inch from their mandibles to the tips of their wings, and are tan in color with some darker markings. In its larval stage, it feeds on new plant growth in 250 to 2,000 different plant species, including important crops like grapes, apples, citrus, avocados, and trees like the Monterey Pine, cypress, and oak.

Native to Australia, these moths have spread to establish populations in New Zealand, New Caledonia, Hawaii, and the British Isles. This moth only travels about 100 yards in its entire lifetime, so how did it develop such a broad geographical range? Humans! When we travel and bring home exotic or ornamental plants, we often invite stowaways like the apple moth along for the ride. 

The first confirmed find of a Light Brown Apple Moth in the continental United States was made in Berkeley, California on March 12, 2007. On May 2, 2007 the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decreed quarantine on exports of a wide range of plant materials from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland. It is unknown exactly what kind of damage this exotic moth could do to the U.S. agriculture if its populations continue to grow. California farmers agree that this moth needs to be stopped but many disagree as to how it should be done.

To Spray or Not to Spray

The complexity of this issue is apparent in the conversations we have had with some of our farmers. For example, organic farmers in Northern California voice their concerns related to potential negative health effects for humans associated with CheckMate but also worry for their crops.

On February 25, 2008, we attended a “scoping meeting” sponsored by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) in San Francisco attended by many concerned and well-informed Bay Area residents who had plenty of questions about the necessity and safety of CheckMate. We learned that the CDFA’s “programmatic environmental impact report” on the moth will not even be completed until after the first spraying occurs on August 1, 2008 in the Bay Area.

Please use the links below to learn why Bay Area citizens are speaking up about this planned aerial spraying and what farmers and other interested parties are saying.

We'd love to hear from you via email about this issue. Send us your comments for possible posting.

Questions and Concerns
Why the state of emergency? What are the options to control or eradicate the
light brown apple moth? Where and what does CDFA plan to spray?

Interviews: Addressing Concerns and Getting Answers
Farmers, scientists, local environmental groups, and pesticide management organizations share their information, resources and opinions.

Letter from Chris Mittelstaedt

Current News

We will continue to update the resources here as they become available.