First report of Ripersiella hibisci in Denmark
The NPPO of Denmark 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 several consignments of possibly infested Callistemon plants that had been delivered from Italy to two garden centres in Denmark. Many plants had already been sold to end consumers, but the remaining Callistemon plants were inspected and in one of these garden centres 16 out of 54 Callistemon plants were found to be heavily infested with R. hibisci. The entire lot was destroyed.
The pest status of Ripersiella hibisci in Denmark is officially declared as: Transient, actionable, under eradication.
Sources
NPPO of Denmark (2021-06).