Aquatic Invasive Species Rapid Response Exercise Held Last Week

Last week, a Rapid Response Team held a virtual tabletop exercise in the event invasive quagga or zebra mussels are found in the Columbia River Basin. The mock exercise was based on a scenario involving a contaminated boat that launched and moored in a marina on Lake Billy Chinook. The goals of the exercise were to streamline communication, strengthen skills, improve response time, and coordinate mussel containment actions. Exercise participants included representatives from the Oregon State Marine Board, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, Oregon Department of Agriculture, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Portland General Electric, Invasive Species Action Network, and the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. To read the full joint press release, click here.

You can protect our waterways from invasive species by remembering to Clean, Drain, Dry.

Watch Out for Garlic Mustard

Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a biennial plant native to Europe that was first documented in Oregon in 1959 in Multnomah County. The impacts of garlic mustard include displacing native forest understory species, reducing diversity, and decreasing forage availability for native wildlife. Garlic mustard is a priority for control due to its ability to quickly invade habitats and alter soil chemistry.

Garlic Mustard flowering (Photo from Glenn Miller, Oregon Department of Agriculture)

Garlic mustard rosettes form by midsummer the first year, overwinter, then bloom April through June the second year. The key to controlling garlic mustard is to remove infestations early in the spring before the plants go to seed. Pulling garlic mustard is best when the soil is moist and it has just started flowering. Make sure you pull at the base of the plant to get all the roots out and place all pulled garlic mustard in bags and dispose of them with your trash. Do not place garlic mustard plants in the compost!

Garlic Mustard Rosette (Photo from Tualatin SWCD)

Report it! If you find garlic mustard in or adjacent to streams, parks, or natural areas in Oregon please report it to the Oregon Invasive Species Hotline.

Find tips on identifying, treating, and removing garlic mustard from your landscape by watching this informative video from West Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District.

For more information, check out these additional resources:

• Oregon Department of Agriculture Weed Profile: Garlic Mustard PDF

• 4-County CWMA Garlic Mustard Brochure

• West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District: Garlic Mustard Containment

• Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District: Garlic Mustard Information

Information in this post was gathered from resources made available by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, 4-County Cooperative Weed Management Area, West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District, and Tualatin Soil & Water Conservation District.

Pest Alert: Asian Giant Hornet

What is the Asian giant hornet?
The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) is the world’s largest hornet and is native to Asia. The Asian giant hornet is a quarantine pest for the United States and is a serious pest of honeybees and other insects. A quarantine pest is a pest of potential economic importance, possibly present in the area of concern but not widely distributed, and officially regulated by the USDA APHIS. Learn more about quarantine pests by visiting the The Food and Agriculture Organization website.

ASIAN GIANT HORNET FOUND IN WASHINGTON STATE. FROM WA STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HORNET PEST ALERT AGR PUB 809-816

Where has it been found?
In 2019, these hornets were found in British Columbia, Canada and Blaine, Washington. As of June 1, 2020, it has not been found in Oregon. However, if the Asian giant hornet does make its way into Oregon, it will threaten Oregon’s honeybees and poses a risk to humans. According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture, the Asian giant hornet is expected to attack the same things in this region that they attack in their native range: medium to large sized insects (large beetles, katydids, mantids, caterpillars).

MAP SHOWING REPORTS (AS OF JUNE 8, 2020) OF ASIAN GIANT HORNET FROM THE WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE’S HORNET WATCH REPORT FORM. VIEW THE CURRENT 2023 MAP HERE

Are they dangerous?
Yes! Use extreme caution near Asian giant hornets. While they do not generally attack people or pets, they can attack when threatened. Not only can the Asian giant hornet sting multiple times, their stinger is longer than that of a honeybee and the venom is more toxic than any local bee or wasp. Typical beekeeping protective clothing is not sufficient to protect you from stings.

Asian giant hornet Identification Tips:

• Large wasps about 1.25 to nearly 2 inches long

• Large, yellow-orange head with prominent eyes

• Black and yellow striped abdomen

• Forms large colonies that usually nest in the ground

• Significant numbers of killed honeybees in or around a hive - they are typically snipped into pieces

IMAGE FROM WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, BUGWOOD.ORG, AND USDA APHIS PPQ.

Does it look like other insects? 
Some local insects have been confused with Asian giant hornets, including those listed below which are NOT Asian giant hornets. Remember, unlike the local insects below, Asian giant hornets are LARGE wasps 1.25 to nearly 2 inches long. Click here to view the Giant Hornet (Vespa mandarina) and Oregon Look-a-likes poster, which was created by Oregon Department of Agriculture.

• Paper wasp

• Bald faced hornet

• Yellow jacket

• Elm sawfly

The Washington State Department of Agriculture recently started a social media campaign called #ThatIsNotAnAsianGiantHornet which consists of putting a picture of an Asian giant hornet next to a picture of an insect that has been reported (but is not Asian giant hornet).

Credit: Dave Wilkes

Credit: Joel Nielsen

Credit: USDA APHIS

What should you do if you think you’ve seen an Asian giant hornet?
Do not kill what you think might be an Asian giant hornet and do not approach a suspected colony! Not only is it potentially dangerous, misidentification by well-intentioned members of the public can result in the killing of native bees and other insects. Instead, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) is asking that you report it immediately here: https://oda.fyi/HornetReport. If you do not have internet access, you can make a report by calling 503-986-4636.

Additional Resources:

• USDA New Pest Response Guidelines for Asian Giant Hornet

• Resources from the Washington Department of Agriculture:

  • Information for Beekeepers

  • Join the Asian Giant Hornet Watch Facebook Group

  • Asian Giant Hornet Fact Sheet for farmers, gardeners, hunters, hikers, and outdoor workers. Available in Spanish: Farmers and outdoor workers

  • WSDA Virtual Press Conference (Recorded May 29, 2020): https://youtu.be/dzDgxBw48pM

The information above was compiled from the Oregon Department of Agriculture Pest Alert, Washington Department of Agriculture Hornet Webpage, and the USDA New Pest Response Guidelines for Asian Giant Hornet.

*Asian Giant Hornet Update from WSDA (7/24/2020)*

On July 24th, the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) released an Asian giant hornet stakeholder update. Below are a few important takeaways from the update:

• Volunteers have put up over 1300 traps, which is in addition to the hundreds of traps managed by WSDA!

• The Washington Invasive Species Council contributed $3,000 toward the cost of billboards in Whatcom County, WA to help raise awareness and encourage reporting of Asian giant hornets.

• WSDA is partnering with the Washington State University Master Gardeners to provide a training (August 11 at 10 a.m.) for Master Gardeners who might be answering questions or receiving suspected Asian giant hornet specimens from clients. Master gardeners who are interested in participating in this webinar should contact their program coordinator for  information on how to attend the training.

All Asian giant hornet stakeholder updates from WSDA can be found here. If you would like to receive updates from WSDA’s Pest Program on Asian giant hornet (and other topics), click here.

Thank you for your interest in protecting Oregon from invasive species. To learn more about the Oregon Invasive Species Council and to report sightings of invasive species, please visit https://www.oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org/report-an-invader and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.

(Post updated August 19, 2020)

June 2020 Meeting Update: COVID-19

Due to the risks of coronavirus spread, the Oregon Invasive Species Council (OISC) will be postponing the regional stakeholder meeting in Central Oregon to a later date and we will instead hold a virtual business meeting on June 2, 2020 from 12:30-4:30 pm. A meeting agenda and remote participation details will be posted to the OISC Meetings page as it becomes available. 

Other upcoming events are on the OISC Events page. If you would like to share details about an upcoming invasive species event, or any other relevant information, please feel free to share that with the OISC coordinator at coordinator@oregoninvasivespeciescouncil.org.

The OISC is considering other virtual options to engage with invasive species managers and members of the public during this time. If you have any suggestions for how we can support virtual engagement or promote one of your events, please let us know.

2019 Invasive Plant Accomplishments Report for Pacific Northwest Region (USDA Forest Service)

The final 2019 Invasive Plant Program Accomplishments Report for the Pacific Northwest Region was recently released by USDA Forest Service. The report includes accomplishments of their State partners and lists the 170 different partners they collaborated with to control invasive plants on the National Forests in the Pacific Northwest Region. Check out the report here.