Apple moth program suspended

Federal officials have postponed placing hundreds of special “twist ties” into two Sonoma neighborhoods until fish and wildlife experts can study the program designed to combat the light brown apple moth.

The twist ties, which are laced with a chemical to attract the male moth and disrupt the reproductive cycle, were to be put out this week. The plan followed the finding of an apple moth earlier this year in the two neighborhoods.

Tuesday the agricultural officials said they were postponing the action until they can better understand the impact of the twist ties on aquatic life, should any ties inadvertently end up in a nearby creek.

Additionally, a number of residents have called the county and said they don’t want the ties placed around their homes and yards. Supervisor Valerie Brown, who represents Sonoma, has asked the Board of Supervisors to hold a hearing on the 8-inch twist ties next month.

The light brown apple moth is a native of Australia. It feeds on a variety of plants ranging from grapes to redwoods.

After discovering the moth in Sonoma, the state last month declared a 15-square-mile moth quarantine area extending from western Sonoma north to Eldridge.

The two neighborhoods are the area of Arnold Drive and Craig Avenue and around Bokman Place in the residential neighborhood south of Flowery Elementary School.

Residents in the quarantine area are prohibited from taking plants and other “host materials” off their properties, while agricultural growers are required to allow trapping and inspections to show their crops are free of the moths.