ALERT! Louisiana Issues A Boll Weevil Quarantine For The Entire State

(KHLA - Lake Charles, Louisiana) - Louisiana’s cotton harvest season is in full swing, which means crops are susceptible to boll weevil infestations.

During this time, Louisiana agriculture officials say that moving cotton harvest machinery into the state without proper inspection is prohibited.

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Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain said in a press release:

The boll weevil is resilient; we must stay diligent in our efforts to keep them out of Louisiana.

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Boll Weevils were first introduced into Louisiana 1903. For decades this insect decimated cotton crops in the state and caused millions in losses.

They were eradicated from Louisiana in 2012. Since then, state officials have been vigilant that boll weevils never return to the Bayou State.

LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain continued in the press release:

Our department must be notified once the equipment stops anywhere within the state of Louisiana so that we can review all pertinent documentation and inspect the equipment.

 

Reintroductions of boll weevils usually occur when harvest equipment from infected regions enters or passes through Louisiana without first being inspected and fumigated. Cotton pickers, module builders, trucks, boll buggies, tractors, trailers, and any other machinery that could hold cotton waste or weevils are among the equipment that are more likely to have an infestation.

Texas-sourced equipment needs a USDA PPQ Inspection Form 540 or a Fumigation Certificate. A phytosanitary certificate or an official declaration on state letterhead attesting to the equipment's lack of boll weevils or its origin from a pest-free area should be attached to equipment from other states that have eliminated the insects.