(Photo: Japanese beetle, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service )
Alison St John (Guest Host): Threats come in all sizes. The Japanese beetle is less than half an inch long, but the United States expects to spend $460 million this year to try to control it. California Food and Agriculture employees have recently found a Japanese beetle in Vista, and a major c38aign is now in the works to try to control the pest. Left unchecked, it can wreak havoc on lawns, fruit trees and ornamentals, not to mention cost the agricultural industry millions of dollars.
Could a pest found in Vista spread to the rest of San Diego? Tomorrow there's a public meeting in Vista for homeowners to find out how they can spot the beetle, what they can do about it and what else is being done to try to prevent it from spreading.
A public meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, June 26 th at 6 p.m. at the Vista Senior Center in Brengle Park, located at 1400 Vale Terrace Drive in Vista.
The public can help by reporting suspicious bugs to the CDFA Pest Hotline at 1-800-491-1899. For more information, visit the County's Agriculture, Weights & Measures Web site .
- Bob Atkins, agricultural commissioner/sealer of Weights and Measuresfor the County of San Diego.
