First report of Ripersiella hibisci in Germany
The NPPO of Germany recently informed the EPPO Secretariat of the first finding of the root mealybug Ripersiella hibisci (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae – EPPO A1 List) on its territory. The trace forward surveys related to the outbreak in Italy (EPPO RS 2021/081) identified possibly infested Callistemon plants that had been delivered from Italy to Germany to a garden centre in Hesse. Many plants had already been sold to end consumers, but four plants were found to be infested by R. hibisci. In total, 90% of the 132 delivered plants could be destroyed. A monitoring survey will be conducted. Another consignment (66 Callistemon plants) had been delivered to a garden centre in Baden-Württemberg: 56 plants had already been sold to end consumers and could not be traced back. The 10 remaining plants were destroyed: 6 plants had been inspected and found to be infested.
The pest status of Ripersiella hibisci in Germany is officially declared as: Present, under eradication, only in some parts of the Member State concerned.
Sources
NPPO of Germany (2021-06).