“The California citrus farmer stood shaken at the news. She was just served notice a few of her trees are infested by an insect the size of a grain of rice, the Asian citrus psyllid, which infected her trees with a bacterial disease called “huanglongbing” (HLB). It’s a deadly disease, none of them will survive. Besides her losses of the trees, she must now spend much time and money to prevent its spreading to other trees, not only for the good of her own orchard, but for the citrus industry in California.”

While this is only a generic fictional short story to introduce a point about invasive species, it is a very real threat. California (as well as Florida) has its citrus industry threatened by such a small creature and a number of existing containment zones.

Invasive species, sometimes called exotic species, are a threat to the United States economy. Some 50,000 exotics cost the United States at least “$138 billion annually in damages, losses, and control measures.” Yet what are invasive species? Invasive species are plants, animals, insects, or microbes/diseases which are not historically native in an ecosystem environment, and whose introduction causes harm or will likely cause harm to the economy, the environment and/or to human health. The California Department of Food and Agriculture cites work by the University of Florida that economic impacts in Florida were 6,600 lost jobs, $1.3 billion lost revenue to growers, and $3.6 billion lost in economic activities due to the HLB. And this is for one invasive duo - the Asian citrus psyllid and HLB.

While it would be unreasonable for each person to know about every single invasive species, a person could however become aware of how their own actions may have great impacts on the economic and agriculture through accidental transportation of an invasive species, its seeds, or its eggs. A person could also become involved in one or two simple activities to help reduce the spread in their own local community.