Oregon rolls the dice on exotic species, Jan. 15

Over the past 9 years, 88 new exotic terrestrial invertebrates have come to Oregon. January 13, 2016… Playing the craps table in Las Vegas or buying a lottery ticket for a chance at more than a billion dollars doesn’t seem as risky as gambling that the high number of new, exotic insects, slugs, and other terrestrial invertebrates discovered in Oregon the past nine years are harmless. “It’s a crap shoot and we are gambling every year,” says Jim LaBonte, an entomologist with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. “The vast majority of species we have found are believed to be relatively harmless. In some cases, a few species have actually proved to be beneficial. But a certain percentage are seriously bad and can do damage. It comes out to be one out of every seven. Every year that we roll the dice, there is a strong likelihood we will come up with a significant or major pest.” LaBonte has been tracking all known new exotic species of terrestrial invertebrates detected and established in Oregon since 2007. There have been 88 of them, some new to North America. Out of roughly 25,000 insects, mites, slugs, and other related spineless species currently in the state, he estimates that about 1,000 are exotic. The number may also just be a tip of the iceberg. Exotics originated somewhere other than Oregon. Invasives cause damage of varying degrees. Of the 88 that have made Oregon their home the past eight years, 13 are known invasive species.