A panel of 10 scientists, economists and USDA employees released a report yesterday that said the USDA's characterization of light brown apple moth as an "invasive threat" was correct, but the federal agency didn't back up the assertion with sound science, according to an Associated Press story.

The panel, convened by the National Academy of Sciences, includes UC Berkeley entomologist Nicholas Mills. He acknowledged in the article that assessing the potential threat of an invasive species is a very difficult thing to do, and expressed concern about USDA's information gathering efforts.

"We found that people in the agency were sometimes using their best guesses,...

Even as California's focus has been on its stagnant economy and the state budget fiasco, the light brown apple moth is still fluttering in the background. Early this month, the San Joaquin County agricultural commissioner announced the discovery of LBAM in a Manteca trap; a second moth was found in Manteca last week, according to a report published on the KSWB Channel 8 Web site.

Meanwhile, two UC scientists are saying the CDFA's LBAM eradication test scheduled for August in Napa and Sonoma counties is unnecessary and destined...

The California Farm Bureau newspaper AgAlert posted more information today about Light Brown Apple Moth in a story that included extensive quotes from UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Mark Bolda.

Bolda told AgAlert assistant editor Kate Campbell that LBAM larvae and webbing were found in a Santa Cruz County blackberry farm. About 20 percent of the crop has been lost.

"This the first time we've seen so many light brown apple moths in the field," Bolda was quoted in the article. "The damage is without precedent. As the moth is becoming more numerous in the area, we're starting to see...

Santa Cruz UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Mark Bolda reported in his blog, "Strawberries and Caneberries," that a local blackberry farm sustained severe damage from the Light Brown Apple Moth. According to Bolda's report, 20 percent of the crop was lost.

"This information is being provided in the interest of emphasizing to the grower community that this pest is not only a regulatory problem now, but is capable of becoming an economic problem as well," Bolda wrote.

On Monday, a story about the LBAM infestation in blackberries appeared in the