Multiple new and invasive species found in the United States

Apr 22, 2015

Pests cause about $120 billion in damages each year

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) had just added three new and invasive pest species to a list of pests they want to stop the spread of – with the public’s help.

They are the coconut rhinoceros beetle, old world bollworm and spotted lanternfly.

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle
As its name suggests, the beetle looks like a tiny rhinoceros. It uses its horn to bore into the crowns of palm trees and feed on sap and in doing so can expose the tree to disease. It’s destroying date, oil and the coconut palm trees found in Hawaii. Tree symptoms include V-shaped cut on open fronds and exposed coconut fibers.

Old World Bollworm
The old world bollworm could pose a serious threat to many agricultural commodities including corn, cotton, small grains, soybeans, peppers and tomatoes. Products with signs of the pest could even face export restrictions. Signs that a plant has been damaged by an old world bollworm might only be seen by cutting the fruit open. The larvae may attack young tomatoes causing them to fall from the vine and in cotton the larvae make holes in the base of the flower buds.

Spotted Lanternfly
The spotted lanternfly attacks a wide range of agriculture including fruit and hardwood trees. If ignored it has the capacity to hinder the country’s grape, orchard and logging sectors. They are known to suck sap from the stems and leaves. This weakens the plant and can contribute to its death. The plant may also ooze or weep, causing it to emit a fermented smell.

The USDA-APHIS has classified 18 pests as “Hungry Pests”, the most destructive ones that people can spread accidentally when they move, pack or go on vacation.

The USDA suggests not to move firewood, but to buy it at the location where it plans to be burned, cleaning lawn furniture before moving them, keeping plants with a quarantined area within that zone and reporting any signs of pests.

Join the conversation and tell us if you’ve ever encountered any of these pests. What measures did you take? How have you made sure these pests haven’t returned?

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.