Invasive Pest Outreach in Kentucky

Early detection of invasive pests is critical for maintaining the health of forests, landscapes, and plant-based industries. Public outreach is one of the best tools to achieve that goal. This project aims to increase public understanding, acceptance, and support of early detection surveys and the eradication or control of invasive pests in Kentucky, particularly Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), imported fire ants (IFA), hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), walnut twig beetle (WTB)/thousand cankers disease (TCD), gypsy moth, emerald ash borer (EAB), spotted lanternfly (SLF), goldspotted oak borer (GSOB), giant African land snails, and other pests of concern to federal, state and public constituencies. This project is a public awareness campaign by the personnel of the University of Kentucky, Office of the State Entomologist (UK OSE) aimed at raising awareness that invasive pests pose a threat to the state’s forests as well as the urban and rural environment. This project will increase the likelihood that the public will look for and report invasive pests since early detection is critical for successful eradication. In addition, we will educate the public about survey efforts to detect pests as well as control and eradication efforts once pests are detected.