Summary of the key pest observations and outbreaks reported to the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) during February 2025.

Title: Fall Army Worm (Spodoptera frugiperda)

Pest identity:
Fall Armyworm - (LAPHFR)
Country:
Vanuatu
Published: 17 Jan 2024
Updated: 18 Jan 2024
Pest status (under ISPM 8):
Present: at low prevalence
Hosts: FAW host on more than 80 plant species. The FAW has a preference for plants in the grass family, the Poaceae, i.e., maize or corns, millets, rice, sorghum, sugarcane, but it also attacks banana, cotton, cowpeas, ginger, peanut, tobacco, some forage legumes, and vegetables, e.g., beans, cabbage, capsicum, cauliflowers, cucumber, eggplant, potato, sweet potato, tomato, some weeds and ornamentals.
Summary: This sample text could represent the rapid spread of Spodoptera frugiperda across Vanuatu's agricultural lands, devastating maize and other crops, and the urgent need for pest control measures to mitigate the outbreak's impact on local livelihoods and food security.

Title: Ceratitis capitata (Mediterranean Fruit Fly): APHIS Expands Quarantine Area in California

Pest identity:
Ceratitis capitata - (CERTCA)
Country:
United States of America
Published: 7 Jan 2024
Updated: 7 Jan 2024
Pest status (under ISPM 8):
Present: not widely distributed and under official control
Hosts:
Summary: For full report, please visit the NAPPO Phytosanitary Alert System - https://www.pestalerts.org