The Hop Louse War in the Yakima Valley
As the Yakima hop industry matures, growers face a new, permanent agricultural battle against the hop vine aphis.
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Professor J. A. Lintner notes that the hop vine aphis, or 'green fly,' is a persistent European pest that threatens crops in the Yakima Valley. The insect spends the winter as eggs on plum trees, then migrates to hop yards in May. Experts advise that growers must adopt strict 'hop washings' and sprayings to manage the blight. In North Yakima, local growers like Dr. Van de Venter and Ben Myers have confirmed that the insects are present and active, signaling that the aphis has established a permanent foothold in Washington state. Ranchers are warned that they must prepare for a long, labor-intensive battle similar to those fought in New York and England.
“They have come to stay, and ranchers might just as well make up their minds that they must battle with them as growers do in New York and England.”
This article highlights the transition of Yakima into a major industrial agricultural player at the turn of the century. The 'battle' against pests described here reflects the ongoing tension between agricultural productivity and the environmental realities of intensive monoculture that still defines the region's economy today.
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