B. cockerelli poses a threat primarily to greenhouse tomato and bell pepper crops, as well as field potato crops - mainly due to the infestation of plants by the Candidatus bacterium Liberibacter solanacearum, of which it is a vector. As its current distribution shows, the bacterium can survive in a wide range of temperatures. Its distribution in solanaceous crops in the PRA area will be limited to areas where B. cockerelli can establish itself. Given the current distribution of the pest in the Americas and New Zealand, it is believed that B. cockerelli would be able to establish and overwinter under outdoor conditions in southern and central Europe, as well as in areas with mild winters in the northern part of the European area. Given the biology of the agrophage and the climatic scenarios in the PRA area, it seems unlikely that the species will survive the winter outside protected crops. Nevertheless, many experts say that the chances of outdoor survival increase as winter periods shorten and become milder, a phenomenon that has been observed in the PRA area for several seasons. The main routes of B. cockerelli intodruction are plants for planting (mainly tomato and bell pepper seedlings, to a lesser extent garden ornamentals), vegetables (especially those containing green parts, such as leaves, petioles and shoots), and plant waste containing green parts. Due to the small body size and the ability of adults to fly actively, natural dispersal is also a possible route of penetration. The probability of penetration without phytosanitary measures is assessed as medium with low uncertainty. The primary phytosanitary measure is detailed inspection at the stage of production, packaging, transportation and after the entry of shipments. At the production site, an effective method is the destruction of plant residues immediately after harvesting and the immediate removal of individual plants on which the pest or symptoms of damage have been found. Monitoring and proper identification are key to reducing the movement of the pest. An effective method of monitoring is yellow sticky boards placed at plant height at the production site, packing houses or storage facilities. The difficulty is how to distinguish B. cockerelli from other related species in the genus Bactericera, especially under field conditions. In addition, detection of the pest in shipments (packages) by visual inspection of the consignment is difficult due to the possibility that the insect may be present at different developmental stages. A potential control option, once the pest is detected, seems to be the use of systemic insecticides with a short withdrawal period recommended for the control of honey beetles, or its biological control using predatory bugs or parasitic hymenoptera, among others.

PL; pl; PDF; kwarantanna@iorpib.poznan.pl