Diamondback moths invade Canadian pepper plants

FPhoto: David Cappaert, Vancouver Sunrom the Vancouver Sun:

A super pest with a reputation for being an extremely difficult insect to control has become an “alarming threat” to bell pepper plants grown in Fraser Valley greenhouses according to an entomologist at the University of B.C.

Rana Sarfraz said he recently discovered the invasive diamondback moths in two commercial greenhouses in Abbotsford. Sarfraz, an expert in diamondback moths, said the infestation is serious because it threatens pepper production worth about $75 million annually in B.C.

Sarfraz is alarmed because this is the first time the pest has ever been found on peppers, and he doesn’t know why or how the moths have adapted to feed on the crop.

“That’s what we are trying to figure out. What’s going on?” he said. “This is the first evidence of diamondback moths attacking peppers. (It) is an alarming threat to the pepper production industry. This has never been reported in any part of the world before.”