Software Tracks Online Noxious Weed Sales

Scientists at the Center for Integrated Pest Management (CIPM) at North Carolina State University and their federal counterparts are developing software that scours the Web for sites selling noxious weeds or other prohibited invasive species.

The program – called the Agricultural Internet Monitoring System (AIMS) – will be used mostly to locate and contact offending vendors. Those identified via the AIMS technology will be notified by a federal agency and directed to stop selling the plants, explained Dr. Ron Stinner, lead researcher on the AIMS program.

Given the widespread and somewhat careless use of the term “invasive,” the American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) has warned federal officials that the system should focus on federally listed weeds or other pest species prohibited by federal rules.