Resource Search

Laurel wilt is a disease of woody plants in the laurel family (Lauraceae). Hundreds of millions of redbay (Persea borbonia) trees have been killed by laurel wilt in the southeastern Atlantic Coastal Plain region of the United States (US). The disease has also killed large numbers of sassafras (Sassafras albidum) trees in forests and landscapes, and avocado (Persea americana) trees in commercial production. As of October 2019, laurel wilt was known to occur from Texas to North Carolina, south through Florida and north to Kentucky. Laurel wilt is expected to continue spreading through sassafras in the eastern US, and is a potential threat to California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) in the western US and to lauraceous species elsewhere in the world.
See also: Region 8 - Forest & Grassland Health for more information.

The giant African land snail (Lissachatina fulica (Bowditch)) (GALS) is one of the most invasive pests on the planet, causing agricultural and environmental damage wherever it is found. This snail was twice established in southeastern Florida and was successfully eradicated both times. On June 21, 2022, FDACS-DPI recieved a report of a possible population of the snail in New Port Richey, Pasco County. On June 23, a survey of the property confirmed the presence of a white form of the giant African land snail, which is popular in the pet trade in other countries. This snail is a Federally prohibited organism that cannot be legally sold or possessed in the USA.

If you see a suspect GALS, take a picture, and contact the DPI Helpline at 1-888-397-1517 or DPIHelpline@fdacs.gov for instructions how to submit pictures and needed information. 
See also: Pests & Diseases - Giant African Land Snail for more information

See also: Plant Industry Pest Alerts for more pests

See also: Plant Industry Pest Alerts for more pests

See also: Pest Alerts - Fruit Pests for more fact sheets

See also: Plant Industry Pest Alerts for more pests

Pest Alerts are a signature program of the North Central IPM Center to help support initiatives to track, report and manage invasive pests.

We are currently monitoring these exotic pests as part of the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS). If you think you've discovered a pest not native to Rhode Island, and particularly if you suspect the pest to be the Asian Longhorned Beetle or the Emerald Ash Borer, please report it.

See also: Plant Industry- Pest Alerts for more factsheets

See also: Plant Industry- Pest Alerts for more factsheets

See also: New Disease Alerts for more resources

Thousand Cankers poses a serious threat to the health of black walnut trees. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Kansas Forest Service and K-State Research and Extension need your help to help stop the introduction, and to limit the spread, of this disease in Kansas. We are deeply concerned that if it reaches the native range of black walnuts in central and eastern Kansas, we may lose this tree in our urban and native forests.

Sign up to receive email alerts containing recent literature reports for a specific country or region, or recent literature reports from around the globe.

Anglers, crayfish trappers, and other outdoor recreationists are asked to help the Wyoming Game and Fish Department protect our outstanding fisheries by reporting any rusty crayfish found in the Laramie River watershed. Rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus) are native to the Ohio River Basin, but have invaded many other states and Canadian provinces. They were first discovered in Wyoming in 2006 after being illegally introduced into private ponds and then escaping into Wagonhound Creek, a tributary of the North Platte River. Despite the Game and Fish Department’s early eradication efforts, the species has recently been found in the Laramie River as a result of another illegal introduction.

Rusty crayfish are 3-5 inches long, with a grayish-green body and easily-identifiable reddish fingerprint-like spots on each side of the body just in front of the tail. If you find a rusty crayfish, or catch one in a trap, take a photo of it and either return it to the water or kill it. Then contact the Laramie Game and Fish Department at (307) 745-4046 or reportais@wyo.gov.

See also: Pest Alerts for more resources

See also: Invasive Species Information for more resources