Apple moth found again in Sonoma

A second light brown apple moth has been trapped near Sonoma, a discovery that will mean new restrictions for Sonoma County.

The discovery was confirmed Monday, Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner Lisa Correia said Thursday.

Inspectors found the insect about a mile from where the first moth was trapped in late February.

The trapping effort is part of a $75 million eradication campaign that has resulted in controversy over the state’s plan for aerial spraying in the Bay Area and south to Monterey County.

However, officials said the next step for what they term a “light infestation” will be try to eradicate the moth using special twist ties — similar to those on a bread bag — infused with pheromones that disrupt the insect’s mating.

“When you have an area this small it’s much more desirable to do it that way,” said Jay Van Rein, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

Before the state uses the twist ties, it must first set the boundaries of a quarantine area that will be roughly 1.5 miles around where the two moths were found.

Growers in that area will need to have their land inspected and declared free of the moth before they can move plants or fruit from the area.

“It means some extra effort and some forward planning so that they can complete their inspections before harvest,” said Nick Frey, president of the 1,800-member Sonoma County Wine Grape Commission.

The federal government will also require growers throughout the county to take certain steps before shipping plants or fruit out of state, Correia said. A key step will be to undertake a trapping program to demonstrate that their land is free of the moth.

The county has relatively few growers who send such items out of state. But a few vineyard owners do send send grapes out of state.

The moth (Epiphyas postvittana), a native of Australia, feeds on more than 2,000 plants, including more than 250 farm crops.

Agriculture officials first detected it in California in February 2007 and now have enacted apple moth quarantines in nearly all other Bay Area counties.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture study suggested if the state becomes “generally infested,” the moth could cause $160 million to $640 million annually in crop damage.