What Is An Invasive Pest?
Invasive species are organisms that are introduced to an area where they are not known to occur. They may be a virus, bacteria, insect, plant, or weed, etc. When a non-native organism is released into a new area, it will arrive without its natural enemies and the population can explode without anything standing in the way. This not only presents a big problem for farmers and our backyard gardens, but can also push out our native species and upset the balance of our unique ecosystems.
On average, a new pest is introduced into California every 60 days. California is the top agricultural producer in the United States, and produces over 400 different commodities, which account for about half of all U.S. - grown fruit, nuts and vegetables. Each year, invasive insects and diseases cost our state’s agricultural industry approximately $3 billion in control costs, crop losses and export losses.
Below are a few examples of insects that are of major concern to California’s natural resources.
Click Below to learn about invasions of alien invasive species in Santa Clara County!
Invasions of Alien Invasive Species in Santa Clara County
Related Links
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California Department of Food and Agriculture : Invasive Species
- Plant Right
Promoting Noninvasive plants from the Calif Horticultural Invasives Prevention
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California Department of Fish and Wildlife : Invasive Species
- Plant Heroes, America Public Gardener's Association
K-12 Student oriented educational material on Invasive Species
Quick Links
- California Department of Food and Agriculture
- Reporting Pest/Insect Problems
- U.C. Master Gardeners Online
- South County Perchlorate Cleanup Info
- Department of Pesticide Regulation
- Structural Pest Control Board
- Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
- U.C. Agriculture and Natural Resources
- Santa Clara County Farm Bureau
- California Farm Bureau
- Cornell Vegetable MD Online - Vegetable disease identification
- U.C. Fruit and Nut Research Information Center
- Tree Selection Guide
- United States Department of Agriculture