State of Emergency declared for beet hopper insect

Madera County Sheriff Tyson Pogue issued a temporary local state of emergency for Madera County due to the anticipated impacts of the Beet Curly Top Virus on county crops. 

“A reported increase in populations of the beet leafhopper (BLH) in the wildland and agricultural areas of Madera County has precipitated a concern for the spread of Beet Curly Top Virus, a disease known to cause serious crop damage,” Pogue said in a statement released Wednesday. “The existence, or threatened existence, of conditions of emergency to the persons engaged in the agricultural economy and the related properties which have arisen within Madera County, due to the circumstances outlined above, necessitates this declaration.”

The state of emergency allows for neonicotinoid pesticides to be applied to crops susceptible to the beet leafhopper, the carrier of the Beet Curly Top Virus. Neonicotinoid pesticides, which would normally be subjected to the restrictions or rate limits imposed by the regulations indicated above, can be used so that growers can specifically treat for BLH in Madera County.