On August 19, USDA officials checked my nursery stock for insect pests and signs of disease. Of course they were looking for canker, greening or ACPs. This was about 2 weeks after my regular inspection by the state nursery inspector assigned the region I am located in. The regular inspector told me that they are being trained to look for citrus problems by the USDA. He asked if I would be receptive to the idea of having USDA officials come to the nursery. I told him it was fine with me, if I had a problem, I would certainally want to know. The USDA office nearest here contacted me shortly thereafter and the survey was arranged.

Three people came. Because they are not in a citrus growing state, it is a new experince for them, so they are going through a learning process. They had written material, pyslids perserved in solution, and seemed very knowledgeable and dedicated to this new assignment. They did a very through job checking my stock out, and I enjoyed meeting them. I have no qualms about seeing them return.

The bottom line is they found no insects or signs of disease, other than the normal stuff. I believe one lady found one plant with a few mealy bugs. I now know better what to look for, so their visit worked to my benefit.

I was told that a pyslid was found in Charleston (downtown I think). Only the one so far, but I would guess more will be found in the future.

Even though these were not policy makers, I did voice my thoughts as to things that should have been done, and still need to be done, to at least help slow down the spread of disease. They included.

- Posting, at all points of sale, notices that it is against the law to transport citrus outside of the state. The last time I checked, citrus trees were being sold at nurseries, fleas markets, and filling stations along I-95 to people who have no idea about the quarantine.

- Trees should be clearly tagged with the same information.

- Trailers and trucks stopping at the ag inspection stations are being passed without the vehicle being opened. In most cases, just opening the door would reveal the presence of citrus, particullary if they were in bloom. Looks to me like a few citrus smelling beagles would go a long way in preventing trees from being smuggled out. I have heard of people hiding citrus among other plants to sneak them out.

One of the inspectors mentioned that they are interested in checking other citrus plantings, and asked if I knew anyone willing to let them look at their plants. I told them I would let the citrus growers I knew know about this, and then let them decide of their own if they wanted to participate. I can provide contact info if there is any interest.

Ned