“ne Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
service (APHIS) is charged with protect- 
ing American agriculture in part by 
setting phytosanitary and zoosanitary 
standards that allow trade without the 
threat of introducing foreign pests and 
diseases into the United States or pests 
and diseases that are indigenous in the 
United States into foreign countries. 
APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine 
(PPQ) program focuses on phytosanitary 
issues and standards. 
2 Plant Health Programs 
In August 1999, the pink hibiscus mealybug 
was discovered in two communities along 
the United States—Mexican border. The pest 
had affected plants in the urban areas of 
Calexico and El Centro, CA. 
The pink hibiscus mealybug is a serious 
agricultural pest that attacks more than 
200 plants, including fruits, vegetables, and 
ornamentals. The pest sucks the juice from 
host plants while simultaneously injecting 
its saliva, which is toxic. This action leads to 
malformation of leaves and fruit and some- 
times to the death of the plant. If it were to 
become established here, the pest could 
cause more than $750 million in damage to 
slture annually. 
The pink hibiscus mealybug is established in 
central and northern Africa, India, Pakistan, 
northern Australia, and southeastern Asia. 
This mealybug arrived in Grenada in 1994 
and spread to 14 other Caribbean nations. In 
1996, U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) scientists anticipated the mealybug’s 
spreading to the continental United States 
and began working on a biological control 
program on several Caribbean islands. 
The research led to the discovery of natural 
enemies of the mealybug: a microscopic, 
stingless wasp, native to China and Egypt, 
which lays eggs inside the body of the mealy- 
bug. The eggs hatch into maggotlike larvae 
that kill the mealybug by feeding on its 
internal organs. The wasps have successfully 
controlled pink hibiscus mealybug in Egypt, 
India, China, Australia, and Hawaii. USDA’s 
APHIS released the wasps on St. Kitts, an 
effort that resulted in a 94-percent reduction 
of the mealybug population density in less 
than 2 years. 
So when pink hibiscus mealybug was found 
in the United States in 1999, APHIS hada 
history of combating the pest and was pre- 
pared to release the parasitic wasps. Within 
3 weeks of the first find in California, the 
wasps went to work fighting the pink 
hibiscus mealybug infestation. 
The pink hibiscus mealybug project is just 
one example of APHIS in action. By constant 
surveillance and preparation, APHIS’ PPQ 
program is ready to respond to plant pest 
and disease outbreaks across the United 
States without delay. PPQ’s quick response 
prevents infestations from becoming large- 
scale problems that could affect U.S. trade 
and devastate U.S. agriculture. 
PPQ responds to foreign pest threats by 
using an integrated approach that combines 
surveillance, detection, response, and 
research. By using these elements, PPQ 
works every day to safeguard U.S. agricul- 
ture, especially plant resources. 
