The asian defoliating moth (ADM) survey will look for the presence of five serious pests of a wide variety of trees and shrubs

The Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service awarded the California Department of Food and Agriculture a $400,000 cooperative agreement on July 1, 2026, to conduct the Asian Defoliating Moth (ADM) Survey under the agency's plant pest detection authority.

The recipient will maintain a statewide trapping network across 55 California counties from June through September, deploying paper delta traps, wing trap kits, and milk carton traps at high-risk seaports and urban settings. Trap sites will be serviced every two weeks to detect five serious tree and shrub pests: flighted spongy moth, rosy moth, nun moth, and Siberian silk moth. Trappers will receive training in trap placement, preliminary pest identification, and sample submission procedures. Suspect specimens will be submitted to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Plant Pest Diagnostics Center for confirmation; specimens confirmed as Asian defoliating or spongy moths will be forwarded to USDA's Science and Technology Forest Pest Methods Lab in Massachusetts or the Systematic Entomology Laboratory in Maryland for molecular diagnostic confirmation. New infestations will be delimited. The survey aligns with APHIS's mission to enable early detection and rapid response to incipient infestations.

Performance period runs through June 30, 2027, with all work performed in California.

Activities

Paper delta traps, wing trap kits, and milk carton traps and their lures will be placed throughout the state of california from june through september. Trap sites will be selected at high-risk seaports and urban settings in 55 counties and serviced every two weeks. New infestations will be delimited. This statewide trapping program is outlined in the california department of food and agriculture (cdfa) insect trapping guide. The gypsy moth action plan and the USDA's asian defoliator pathway-based survey guide and program manual, among other documents, will be used to form the basis of the survey. Trappers will be trained in trap placement, preliminary identification of targeted pests, and proper sample submission procedures. Suspect samples will be submitted for confirmation to the plant pest diagnostics center (ppdc). Following the confirmation of a ADM or spongy moth, the specimen will be sent as needed to the USDA's science and technology forest pest methods lab in massachusetts or to the systematic entomology laboratory in maryland for confirmation through molecular diagnostics. Deliverables and expected outcomes: the survey methods described in this document target likely introduction points. Targeting the survey on those areas that have the greatest risk for introduction should allow for a reasonable expectation for the detection of introductions of these pests. Therefore, this survey should find evidence of these pests if they have been introduced. A tabulation of the number of traps deployed, the number of sites sampled, and the number of samples submitted can be used to determine if the survey efforts were sufficient. Negative survey results would indicate that these pests have not been introduced nor established in california. Intended beneficiary(IES): california's trapping program for spongy moth targets areas where species are likely to be introduced by vehicle traffic from the eastern U.S. The state will benefit by having a complementary program that specifically targets THO SE areas of highest risk for the introduction of FSM and its relatives via seaports. Detections of FSM have occurred at and around ports in the northwestern U.S., and in all cases, introductions were associated with commercial shipments primarily from the far east (asia and russia). The amount of cargo arriving at ports in california continues to increase, thus increasing the risk of introduction of these pests. Subrecipient activities, if known or specified at the time of award: 46 county agricultural commissioner's (CAC) offices will place and service traps, provide survey site information, submit specimens for identification, and distribute outreach material. Cost categories: personnel: $108,207; fringe benefits: $45,697; travel: $2,221; supplies: $4,600; contractual: $168,962; other: $14,939; fringe benefits: $55,374