Brown Marmorated Stink Bug

Trapping for the brown marmorated stink bug will continue this year. Approximately 30 traps will be deployed in unconfirmed counties across the eastern and central regions of the state.

A state-wide detection survey will be conducted this year. Locations where boxwood is sold, grown, or newly planted will be monitored.

Cut Christmas trees and other holiday greenery (wreaths, garland, planters, etc.) will be inspected at approximately 70 box stores, garden centers, and pop-up shops this fall. Holiday plant material is often sourced from states where invasive species are established, creating a pathway that could potentially introduce these pests into the state.

Forest Pest Survey

This survey will take place at shipping hubs, such as container storage and transfer yards, inland ports, rail depots and rail yards and parks which have suitable hosts which are a pathway for exotic plant pests that could be introduced and establish.

The survey will entail trapping 53 locations. Twenty-eight of the 53 will have the oak pest traps included in the trapping. Pests to be surveyed for are: Spongy moth, Hokkaido gypsy moth, Japanese gypsy moth, Okinawa gypsy moth and White-winged gypsy moth, nun moth, and rosy moth. The 28 locations containing oak will also be surveyed for oak ambrosia beetle and oak processionary moth. At every location and within the county.

USDA funded survey

Emerald Ash Borer

KDA will continue to assist the Kansas Forest Service in identifying emerald ash borer in unconfirmed counties. Biological control efforts using the egg parasitoid, Oobius agrili, will continue in counties where emerald ash borer is established.

Karnal Bunt

Collecting and submitting wheat grain samples as part of the national Karnal Bunt survey is necessary to continue the export of Kansas wheat.

Wheat samples will be taken on a two-year rotation in counties with over 1 million bushels of wheat from grain storage facilities. Every 2 years, samples will have been taken from the wheat producing counties that produce at least 1 million bushels from the state. Harvest acreage numbers for the year will be rechecked every 2 years. There is one four-pound sample taken for 1 million bushels per county. Funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Spongy Moth

A state-wide detection survey will be conducted this year. Campgrounds, rest stops, log yards, live plant dealer locations, and other commercial or high-traffic areas will be monitored.

The survey will entail trapping forty-one sites for walnut twig beetle with one dry cup with an insecticidal strip in an 8 funnel trap at eighteen north-central counties using a seasonal staff person from May to September. The traps will be placed in the north-central counties focusing on areas around sawmills, collection points, plantations, parks, street trees and reservoirs with walnut trees. Traps will be checked every 2-3 weeks. Lure and insecticidal strip changed every 30 days. This survey needs to occur because of export requirements for some countries.

A state-wide detection survey revealed zero box tree moth detections. Monitoring traps were placed at 34 live plant dealer locations across 21 counties.

28 traps were deployed across 14 counties. The stink bug was newly detected in Atchison, Doniphan, Pottawatomie, and Wabaunsee Counties. Hosts at these detections included grape, corn, and squash. Brown marmorated stink bug is now recorded in 11 Kansas counties.

Brown Marmorated Stink BugTraps were placed at 21 sites in 11 counties (Atchison, Clay, Geary, Jackson, Linn, Miami, Osage, Ottawa, Pottawatomie, Sedgwick, Wabaunsee). No brown marmorated stink bugs were found.

A survey of cut Christmas trees and other holiday greenery was conducted at 67 box stores, garden centers, and pop-up shops in 22 counties across the state. No insects or pathogens of significance were found during the survey.

Emerald ash borer was confirmed in Bourbon, Linn, Marshall, and Pottawatomie Counties. The beetle is now recorded in 19 Kansas counties. The biological control agent, O. agrili was released for a second year in Johnson County.

Forest Pest Survey

 Due to funding issues for 2025, the survey for 2025 will occur in 2026.

• 10 counties, 65 locations (24 with oak)
• Surveyed from May 6 - September 20, 2024
• Atchison, Brown, Coffey, Doniphan, Douglas, Franklin, Johnson, Leavenworth, Shawnee, Wyandotte
• No target pests found
• USDA funded survey

Karnal Bunt

• 34 counties planned, 32 counties sampled
• 127 samples planned, 116 taken (115 tested)
• Sampling occurred June 13 – June 7, 2024
• No karnal bunt found
• USDA funded survey

Spongy Moth

A state-wide detection survey revealed zero spongy moth detections. Monitoring traps were placed at 58 sites across 27 counties.

Walnut Twig Beetle

• 18 north-central counties, 41 locations
• Started June 2, 2025
• Ended September 9, 2025
• No walnut twig beetle found
• USDA funded survey