Agricultural Pathway Survey

The Agricultural Pathway Survey is a cooperative effort by Clemson-Department of Plant Industry (DPI) and USDA-APHIS-PPQ to protect South Carolina’s row crop industry and preserve a safe and healthy environment.  Cotton, Soybeans, Corn, and Peanuts are all commodities to be represented in our survey and they account for the bulk of crop production revenues in South Carolina.  DPI field staff will trap for five targeted pests including the Silver Y moth (Autographa gamma), the Old-world bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera), the Egyptian cottonworm (Spodoptera littoralis), the Cotton cutworm (Spodoptera litura), and the Golden twin spot moth (Chrysodeixis chalcites). The use of a bucket trap will help collect insect samples from the field.

The survey sites will be based on proximity to ports of entry, distribution centers, nurseries, transportation hubs, or any location identified as a pest pathway.  Each pest species surveyed for can potentially move through international trade and each has been intercepted at US ports of entry over 100 times.