The state of California recently announced it will stop funding programs designed to eradicate the light brown apple moth, once believed to be a serious threat to local grape crops. Napa County Agriculture Commissioner Dave Whitmer told the Napa Valley Register that the moths have now been demoted to only a minor threat to the grape industry.
According to Whitmer, vineyards in New Zealand fell victim to the light brown apple moth, resulting in significant losses to grape crops. That level of infestation, however, has yet to materialize in California. As a precaution, the state hired professional pest control services to spray Santa Cruz and Monterey counties for the moths in 2007.
The state and federal governments shortly thereafter started funding research into the brown apple moth and discovered the pests' threat was minimal. As a result, the funding was eliminated from the state budget, the source reported.
Inside Science reported that other types of moths are also posing a threat to various crops in the United States. The Pink Billworm, for example, is a thin, gray moth known to feed on cotton crops. While the insect originates in Asia, it invaded crop-producing regions of the United States in the 1920s. The moth lays its eggs in the cotton plant, so when they hatch the babies can feed on the plant, resulting in damaged crops.