Ventura County agriculture is threatened year-round by crop-destroying pests like the Asian citrus psyllid. But experts warn that invasive pests spread more easily as the weather warms up and people get outside.
"All these different types of pests," said David Gruchot, Assistant National Policy Manager for the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. "They cause an impact with the industry for potentially leading to expensive crop losses, control efforts, all those types of things combined add up to an estimated $40 billion annually."
April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month. Gruchot said there are simple steps we can take to help stop the spread.
"It's important for people to report anything that they see that may be strange, that they've never seen before."
More information and resources are available at the USDA's Hungry Pests website.
