Imported Fire Ant; Quarantined Areas and Treatment Dosage

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the imported fire ant regulations by designating as quarantined areas portions of two counties in California. As a result of the interim rule, the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas is restricted. The interim rule was necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the imported fire ant to noninfested areas of the United States. The interim rule also amended the treatment provisions in the appendix to the imported fire ant regulations by lowering the dosage rate of bifenthrin wettable powder for the treatment of containerized nursery plants.