United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has amended entry requirements for the importation of Buxus spp. and Murraya spp. plants for planting from Canada to prevent introduction of box tree moth into the United States.
APHIS now requires that Buxus spp. plants for planting produced in Canada be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating “The Buxus plants have been produced in a pest-free area for Cydalima perspectalis.”
APHIS is taking this action in response to the detection of Box Tree Moth at a nursery in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada, and subsequent detections in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. APHIS considers propagative hosts a high-risk pathway. Box Tree Moth symptoms include green-black frass and silk threads on the host plant. Larvae feeding on leaves and bark can lead to the death of the affected plants.
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