Country: United States

Title: Quarantine of the States of Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island for Pine Shoot Beetle (Tomicus piniperda)

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This Official Pest Report provides notification that the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service is quarantining the States of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island for Pine Shoot Beetle (PSB), Tomicus piniperda.  This action is in response to recent trapping of PSB in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, and is necessary to prevent the dissemination of PSB to other non-quarantined areas of the United States.

Although there has been no detection of PSB in Connecticut or Rhode Island, PSB has been detected in the remainder of New England, and significantly, in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.  PSB has been moving by natural spread east and west from the original infested area in Ohio since 1992.  It is reasonable to believe that PSB may already be present in Connecticut and Rhode Island.  Both states are comprised of highly developed urban areas with low densities of host material to survey for PSB.  It is possible that PSB is present in Connecticut and Rhode Island at low enough population levels to be difficult to detect.  If the USDA does not quarantine these states and PSB is already present, PSB could inadvertently be spread to non-quarantined states by the movement of PSB host material.  Therefore, in the long term, the USDA believes that quarantining Connecticut and Rhode Island will prevent the further dissemination of PSB. This action is effective immediately. 

Posted Date: May 1, 2006, 9 a.m.