Plant Industry - Plant Protection Section - Sweetpotato Weevil Program
Keep North Carolina Sweetpotato Weevil-Free
How to help keep NC sweetpotato weevil-free:
If you are a sweetpotato grower:
- Purchase only certified and tagged sweetpotato weevil-free plants from known sources.
- Routinely track the current quarantine status of the sweetpotato weevil in North Carolina and other states in our web page.
- Do not move sweetpotatoes from known infested or quarantined areas in other states to NC.
- Report to the NCDA&CS Plant Industry Division any field without a sweetpotato weevil trap. Check the NCDA webpage for updates in our state trapping program and contact your regional Plant Protection Specialist (PPS). Traps are set at no cost to the grower.
- Control sweetpotato weevil hosts such as morning glory in the vicinity of your fields.
- Do not disturb any sweetpotato weevil trap and report any damaged trap to your regional NCDA&CS PPS.
- Report sweetpotato acreage to your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) every year to allow NCDA&CS personnel to effectively trap all sweetpotato fields in NC.
- Implement effective sanitation measures in all aspects of operations especially related to growing or storage of sweetpotatoes.
- Request proper documentation from suppliers of sweetpotato plant material (inspection/certification) and maintain this information on file.
To report a sweetpotato storage, processing, research facility, or production field without traps, please phone our toll-free number at 1-800-206-9333 or report by email: newpest@ncagr.gov
For the general public:
- Although NCDA&CS do not want to discourage the general public from planting sweetpotatoes in their own gardens, it is recommended, to protect the industry in NC, not to do it.
- If you plant sweetpotatoes in your garden, demonstration plot, school, or any other setting, please contact your PPS to have him/her set a trap at no cost and monitor your plot.
- If you are conducting research with ornamental sweetpotatoes or sweetpotato plants, contact your regional NCDA&CS PPS to set a trap and monitor for sweetpotato weevils.
Contact your regional Plant Protection Specialist for more information on the program or if you have any questions or concerns.
