NC Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler explains that the quarantine for the imported fire ant, now includes portions or entire areas of 70 NC counties.
The expansion now includes all of Currituck, Durham, and Hertford counties, and portions of Alamance, Granville, Guildord, Iredell, Rutherford and Vance Counties.
This means that residents and business owners in those areas will now need a permit before moving plants, sod and related equipment into or through non-infested areas. Items requiring a permit include sod, soil, hay, and straw, nursery plant material, logs or pulpwood with soil, and soil-moving equipment. Business owners and individuals within quarantined areas needing permits can get them from a local plant protection specialist or by contacting the Plant Protection Section at (800) 206-9333, or (919) 733-6932.
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