As you are putting away your Christmas decorations, watch out for scented pine cones and pine-cone potpourri from India that may be infested with insects.
The cones, sold before Christmas at Frank’s Nursery & Crafts, Kmart, Target, Wal-Mart, JoAnn fabrics, Lowe’s, Dollar Tree, Safeway and other stores nationwide, have been recalled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The pests — Chlorophorus strobilicola, a beetle that bores into pine cones, and an unidentified species of cydia, a genus of seed-feeding insects — interfere with the trees’ seed production, according to Dore Mobley, public affairs specialist with the USDA.
Because this is the first time these Asian insects have been found in the United States, she said, the USDA does not know how much of a danger they could prove to be for American trees.
Other imported insects, such as the Asian longhorn beetle and the emerald ash borer, have turned out to be devastating to American tree populations because they have no natural enemies here. But Mobley said that since the Indian insects affect seed production rather than attacking the tree itself, the hazard may be lower.
If you bought pine cones or pine-cone potpourri that is labeled “Made in India,” return them to the store and receive a refund, Mobley suggested. The products will be either destroyed or fumigated to kill insects before they are repackaged for sale, she said.
