Country: United States

Title: Deregulation of Swede Midge (Contarinia nasturtii) as a Quarantine Pest – United States

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Report: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is removing regulations for and changing the status of swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii (Kieffer), from a reportable/actionable pest to a non-reportable/non-actionable pest effective April 1, 2009. It is unlikely that swede midge can be eradicated from the North American continent. Regulating movement of host material using compliance agreements or other regulatory measures is impractical because the pest is difficult to detect until damage is evident and would create undue burden on the regulated industries.

Pest management will be required to slow the natural spread of swede midge to all areas and regions that predictions suggest it may spread. Good management practices minimize the impact of swede midge damage on Brassica crops. These include: crop rotation so that Brassica crops are grown one year out of four for a given field, removal of end-of-season crop residues so that populations cannot build up on lateral buds and suckers, cleaning of equipment prior to moving out of infested areas so no soil or crop residue is moved, removal of weedy Brassica hosts in fields especially in fence rows and protected areas, use of crop-protective netting with a mesh size that prevents oviposition by females midges, insecticide management timed to kill ovipositing female midges in areas of potential population buildup, and systems approaches for crop harvest that eliminate swede midge from the packing houses along with risk of spreading the pest to non-infested regions.

In September 2004, the first detection of swede midge occurred in the United States in Niagara County, New York. Subsequent detection efforts for swede midge in New York have resulted in additional finds every year from 2004 to 2007. Swede midge was subsequently positively confirmed in portions of Connecticut, New York, and Vermont.

Under IPPC standards, Contarinia nasturtii is considered to be a pest that is present, but managed in the United States.
 

Posted Date: March 6, 2009, 9 a.m.