The Red Palm Weevil (RPW) is widely considered the most devastating insect to attack palms has been found in Laguna Beach, Orange County Calif. The weevil was originally found by a landscape specialist in late August 2010 infesting a Canary Islands palm in a residential area. Subsequent investigation by plant health regulatory officials confirmed the...
The Hunt for Natural Enemies has Begun Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphornia citri, is considered to be one of the world’s most serious threats to economic citrus production because it vectors a bacteria, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, that causes Huanglongbing (HLB) (also known as citrus greening), a disease that is lethal to most varieties of citrus...
Introduction by Mark Hoddle Have you ever wondered why only a small fraction of introduced species of plants and animals become invasive while others remain well behaved in their new home? This is a puzzling question for invasion biologists and regulators developing plans to manage invasive species. Dr. Norman Ellstrand, a Professor of Genetics in...
March 29 to April 10 2010 The gold spotted oak borer (GSOB), Agrilus coxalis(Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is an invasive pest in Southern California that was first detected around 2004. This beetle has a natural distribution that extends from the oak forests in the mountains of Southern Arizona (i.e., the Santa Ritas, Santa Catalinas, Chiricahuas, and the...
Biological Control for Nature Northampton, Massachusetts, USA October 3 – 10, 2010 This meeting will explore the benefits of classical biological control for the control of invasive insects and plants in natural forests, and associated habitats such as wetlands, grasslands, and deserts. Applications to islands and other natural systems will also be included. The meeting...
Randy Ploetz has made available an excellent outline for Laurel Wilt on Avocado. He outlines the “Basic and applied pathology research” he has been working on. Click here for the PDF
I have just returned from an eight week research trip to the Galapagos Islands. The purpose of the work that was done was to assess the impact and safety of Rodolia cardinalis, a biocontrol agent, which was released for the suppression of an invasive insect pest, the cottony cushion scale, Icerya purchasi. Cottony cushion scale...
The Situation: Olive fruit fly is the major insect pest of olive crops worldwide. It is in the insect family Tephritidae that contains many well know pests species such as the Mediterranean fruit fly. It has impacted olive production since biblical times. In some parts of the world, olive fruit fly is responsible for losses...
The Situation: African fountain grass, Pennisetum setaceum (Forssk) Chiov., is invasive outside its native range in Northern Africa and has been damaging native ecosystems in Hawaii. It is now an increasingly problematic weed in California. As a common landscape ornamental, it is now widely planted in southwestern states. Fountain grass seeds may disperse readily from...
The Situation: A large number of introduced Eucalyptus pests have invaded California over the last ten years, including boring beetles, psyllids, gall forming wasps, and leaf chewing beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. The blue gum psyllid was the first to become a pest of ornamental eucalyptus, silver-leaved mountain gum or baby blue gum, and Eucalyptus...
The Situation: Arundo donax, also known as giant reed or arundo, is native to Eastern Asia but has been widely planted around the world because this plant has a variety of practical uses. Arundo has been used for walking sticks, fishing poles, musical instruments, and recently it is being investigated as a biofuel source. Arundo...
The Situation: Didymo or rock snot, is a highly invasive species of freshwater diatom that can form large and extensive mats in rivers, streams, and lakes. Didymo is native to cool temperate areas of the northern Hemisphere including Europe, North America, and Asia. In 2004, didymo was discovered infesting freshwater rivers in the South Island...
The Situation: In 2002 , a non-native insect, the redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), was first detected in the United States near Port Wentworth, Georgia. The beetle was likely introduced in untreated wooden packing material, such as crates and pallets, imported through the shipment of goods from its native range in southeast Asia...
The Situation: Africanized honey bees (AHB) are a hybrid between European and African bee subspecies which were inadvertently released in Brazil in the 1950s. They have spread to the south as far as northern Argentina and to the north into the United States, as well as throughout much of South and Central America. They entered...
The Situation: Ash whitefly represents an outstanding biological control success in California. Ash whitefly was first introduced into California in the late 1980s and was a significant pest of fruit and shade trees such as ash, pear and pomegranate. In the absence of natural enemies, ash whitefly populations exploded out of control. The pest originated...
The Situation: The Asian tiger mosquito entered the United States in shipments of used tires from northern Asia in the mid-1980s. It can survive in a broad range of climates and has spread rapidly from the point of first detection in the south-central United States. Prior to its successful invasion of the southeastern U.S., isolated...
The Situation: Originating in Asia, the citrus leafminer (CLM) was first discovered in Florida in 1993. These small moths rapidly became a significant pest, with infestation rates of up to 90% in some areas in Florida being observed within the year of introduction. By 1995, the citrus leafminer was discovered in Texas, Central America, western...
The Situation: The giant whitefly, a pest of over 50 common ornamental plants, was discovered in southern San Diego County in 1992. It continues to extend its range northward into California where it was found around San Luis Obispo on the central Coast by the late 1990’s, and by around 2005 this pest was established...
The goldspotted oak borer (GSOB) was first detected in 2004 in San Diego Co., California by the California Department of Food and Agriculture during a survey for exotic woodborers. In 2008, it was found in the same county attacking coast live oak, Quercus agrifolia, canyon live oak, Q. chrysolepis, and California black oak, Q. kelloggii...
The Situation: A new biotype of the pea leafminer was introduced in Northern California and is expanding rapidly into Central and Southern California. Already this insect has become a major pest of vegetable crops from Monterey to Ventura Counties. It has spread as far north as Placer County and as far south as Las Vegas...
