Overview

• Rhineland-Palatinate announced an order taking effect Tuesday for a designated buffer zone in Mainz and the Bodenheim area after confirmed beetle finds just across the border in Trebur, Hesse.
• The Trier regional authority said no specimens have been captured in Rhineland-Palatinate so far, but it is activating controls to prevent establishment.
• Measures include a year-round ban on removing topsoil to 30 centimeters from the buffer zone, seasonal limits on transporting green waste and untreated plant residues, and strict conditions on moving plants with soil.
• Hesse’s Trebur remains under an infestation and buffer zoning regime with watering bans, inspections for produce, cleaning requirements for equipment and vehicles, and potential fines up to €50,000.
• Authorities report only male beetles have been trapped in Trebur to date, the federal agriculture ministry has urged the public to photograph and report suspects, and biological controls such as nematodes are being prepared in affected localities.