State tries pheromone for apple moths

CARPINTERIA -- State agriculture officials are targeting the crop-destroying light brown apple moth next week with pheromone-infused twist ties in areas of Carpinteria.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture says the pheromones, which disrupt mating by confusing the moths, will be applied Wednesday on fewer than 30 properties.

Two moths discovered last month led to a 10-square-mile quarantine. The state and federal program is designed to prevent the spread of the pest.

Eradication efforts are already under way in nine other Central California and Bay Area counties where the moths have been found.