Effective immediately, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is expanding the LBAM- quarantine area to include Santa Barbara County, California. This is a result of LBAM detections in Santa Barbara in November 2009.

LBAM is native to Australia and has become established in New Zealand, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom. LBAM is an invasive pest that can attack more than 2,000 types of plants and trees, including nursery stock, cut flowers, fruits, and vegetables. It was first detected in California in March 2007.

APHIS classifies LBAM as a quarantine pest and has established a regulatory framework designed to maintain trade and interstate commerce, while protecting human health and the environment. For the most current information about LBAM, please visit the following website:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/plant_pest_info/lba_moth/index.shtml

Under IPPC standards, Epiphyas postvittana is considered to be a pest that is present: only in some areas and subject to official control in the United States.