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New Conference!

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:32:05 +0000

New Conference! Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:32 More Blog Posts CISR Team April 13, 2010

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 will not address other forms of biological control (e.g., augmentation, conservation, biopesticides), nor will it address use of biological control in plantation forestry. The meeting will appeal to biological control scientists, conservationists, invasion biologists, and land managers.

The meeting is supported by the USDA Forest Service (Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team,), USDA, ARS, the National Park Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the mid Atlantic Exotic Pest Plant Council and the Center for Invasive Species Research.

Click Here for the link

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Foreign Exploration for Gold Spotted Oak Borer in Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:31:19 +0000

Foreign Exploration for Gold Spotted Oak Borer in Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mexico Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:31 More Blog Posts CISR Team April 16, 2010

March 29 to April 10 2010

Tom Coleman (USDA Forest Service) and cooperators from ECOSUR and CONAFOR searching for GSOB in oak-pine forests around Villamirando in Chiapas Mexico.

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 Huachucas), into Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas in Mexico and on into Verapaz in Northern Guatemala, and further South into Nicaragua. Specimens have also been collected from oaks in the Sierra de Laguna at the tip of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. This beetle has not been collected frequently in its natural range which suggests that is naturally quite rare and likely does not exhibit high populations that kill thousands of oak trees.

The exact geographic range for GSOB is unknown, and the current known distribution reflects sporadic collections of adult beetles that were found by beating sampling oak foliage. There has been no systematic effort to accurately delineate the natural range of GSOB or to identify the oak species it exploits in its area of origin.

The epicenter of the GSOB infestation in Southern California is in the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County. It is estimated that this pest has killed >20,000 native oak trees. Species belonging to the group known as red oaks are most preferred. California Live Oak, Quercus agrifolia, appears to be particularly vulnerable to attack. Oak species in the white oak group do not appear to be preferred hosts for GSOB.

Extracting GSOB larvae from an infested red oak in Chiapas Mexico.

GSOB larvae kill trees as they feed on the cambium, a thin section of living tissue found between the bark and the central wood of the tree. The cambium contains two layers, one that produces the bark to the outside of the tree, and the other that produces the water and food conducting tubes (xylem and phloem, respectively) and wood towards the inside of the tree. Feeding damage by tens or even hundreds of larvae in a single oak tree irreparably damages this sensitive tissue. Once damaged the tree cannot repair the broken xylem and phloem tubes and the oak slowly dies.

It is unknown how GSOB arrived in Southern California, or from where exactly it originated. A parsimonious assumption would be that the movement of infested oak firewood possibly from Southern Arizona, or perhaps Northern Mexico close to the California border may have accidentally introduced GSOB into the Cleveland National Forest. It is highly unlikely that GSOB crossed hundreds of miles of the Mojave Desert on its own. This natural barrier has likely prevented GSOB reaching Southern California in the past. However, infested logs in the back of a pick-up, or RV can readily traverse this inhospitable and host-free area, and rapidly move GSOB from its home range into suitable new habitat. Once this translocation happened the small founding GSOB population that emerged from infested logs likely found abundant host species that have no evolutionary resistance to this pest, and it is also likely that GSOB escaped its natural enemies that exploit it for food in the area in which it originated.

Red oak tree stripped of bark. GSOB larvae were found feeding on this infested tree in Oaxaca Mexico.

These two factors, vulnerable oak species with little to no natural immunity to GSOB attack, and lack of specialist natural enemies, coupled with a permissive climate and an abundance of hosts promoted the establishment and rapid proliferation of high density GSOB populations in Southern California.

The threat GSOB poses to the oak forests of California is immense. As this beetle kills oak trees it is modifying habitat that many native animals rely on. Some species have an exclusive relationship with oak forests and cannot survive without these trees. Dead trees are increasing the fuel load in areas that are already vulnerable to wild fires, and property values are adversely affected as majestic trees that shade homes or add landscape character are killed by GSOB.

The USDA Forest Service together with the University of California Riverside have launched a biological control program to find host specific natural enemies that can be imported and established in California for the control of GSOB. The exploration for natural enemies of GSOB is concentrating in areas where this pest is native. Surveys in Arizona have revealed that there are at least two species of parasitoid that attack GSOB larvae as they feed on oak trees.

Surveys for GSOB in Oaxaca and Chiapas in Mexico for GSOB and natural enemies with collaborators from ECOSUR and CONAFOR were completed in April 2010. GSOB larvae were found in oaks, but these finds were very uncommon. Only four infested oaks were found in two weeks of intensive searching in natural areas from which GSOB adults had been collected previously. Three of these four oaks only had 1-3 larvae in them, while one oak, which was dead, was heavily infested about 50 larvae were extracted.

This situation in Mexico is very similar to what has been observed in Arizona, also part of the natural range of GSOB – this beetle is very rare in its home range, GSOB densities in infested oaks are typically low, and dead and dying oaks with GSOB infestations are very uncommon. This could not contrast more strongly with the situation in Southern California where there are thousands of dead and dying oaks with GSOB infestations, and heavily infested trees can yield up to 200 larvae from one cut section!!

The GSOB larvae collected from trees in Mexico showed no obvious signs of parasitism. It is possible that the parasitoids attacking GSOB larvae and pupae in Mexico are endoparasitoids and live inside the GSOB larvae feeding on it. Collected GSOB larvae will need to be dissected in the lab to determine this. In Arizona, one of the most commonly encountered parasitoids is an ectoparasitoid, and these parasitoid larvae can be easily seen attached to the outside of GSOB larvae feeding.

Oak forests around Teopisca in Chiapas Mexico. GSOB adults have been collected here previously.

Given the extraordinary GSOB infestations in Southern California, a strong approach may be required to bring this pest under successful biological control. Such an approach, if warranted, may necessitate the reconstruction of a guild of host-specific parasitoids that GSOB has not previously encountered throughout its natural range. For example, for successful GSOB biological control in California, ectoparasitoids from Arizona and possibly endoparasitoids from Mexico (assuming they exist) may both be needed to drive GSOB populations to the very low levels that are typical of the areas in which this insect evolved. This strategy of unique natural enemy combinations may overcome the apparent advantages GSOB enjoys in Southern California; hosts with high susceptibility to attack and favorable climates.

Unfortunately, an effective biocontrol solution to GSOB is not going to be found rapidly. Several years of work are needed to find, import, and screen natural enemies for safety in quarantine before they can be released for GSOB suppression in Southern California. During this intervening period, many thousands of oaks are likely to be killed by GSOB. The pest will continue to spread throughout California, either naturally over relatively short distances, or very rapidly over hundreds of miles should infested oak logs be moved from infested areas of Southern California into new areas (e.g., uninfested campgrounds in State and Federal Parklands).

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Invasive Species

Mark Hoddle

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Red Palm Weevil

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:28:13 +0000

Red Palm Weevil Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:28 More Blog Posts CISR Team October 22, 2010

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 presence of weevils at the original detection site.

This detection of red palm weevil in California is the first North American record for this pest.

RPW causes severe problems in many parts of the world including the Arabian Peninsula, Northern Africa, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Iran, Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia, and the Caribbean. In addition to ornamental palms, RPW can attack and kill date, coconut, oil, and sago palms.

Date palms are a $20 million per year industry in California, and ornamental palm sales are estimated at $70 million per year in California.

Weevil larvae bore tunnels through palm crowns as they feed, eventually killing the trees. Control of weevil infestations is very difficult and expensive. Adult weevils are strong fliers and can spread by flying up to 4 miles in 3-5 days. Should the pest spread beyond Laguna Beach, it could de devastate ornamental palms in California, destroying an iconic symbol closely associated with California, Florida, and other US states like Hawaii.

For more information and photos of this pest visit: The Center for Invasive Species Research Website

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Red Palm Weevil

Confirmed: Live Red Palm Weevil found in US

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:27:10 +0000

Confirmed: Live Red Palm Weevil found in US Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:27 More Blog Posts CISR Team October 26, 2010

Update on the Red Palm Weevil Infestation in Laguna Beach

Mark Hoddle of UC Riverside discovered a live RPW in an infested palm in Laguna Beach today.

Today, representatives from the CISR and UCR, (Mark Hoddle and Mike Lewis), UCCE (John Kabashima and Don Hodel), the CDFA (Laura Petro), and the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office (Nick Nisson) visited the Laguna site with the palm tree infested with RPW. Around this infested tree CDFA has set out bucket traps with pheromones and chunks of apples to attract RPW to the traps. The buckets contain a liquid to drown RPW that fly into traps. So far no adult weevils have been caught in these traps in the neighborhood of concern. In addition to trapping, CDFA scouts are visually surveying palms from the ground to identify plants that may be infested with RPW. The trap and visual survey area is a 1.5 mile radius around the infested trees. So far 1,481 households have been visited, 9,721 palms have been inspected, and about 86% of the visual survey is complete. CDFA has deployed about 250 RPW traps over 9 square mile area in two patterns: (1) core traps at a high deployment rate of 49 traps per square mile around the “hot zone”, and (2) buffer traps put out beyond the intensive core trap zone at a rate of 25 traps per square mile.

The infested palm at Laguna shows signs of extensive damage. The crown of the palm has dropped off and the top of the trunk is now ringed with a “halo” of palm fronds.

The RPW infested palm at Laguna with its last remaining "halo" of fronds. Note the healthy palms in the background.

The trunk of the palm has been heavily damaged internally by feeding RPW. The central portion of the trunk now contains a highly fermented and very wet “mash” of plant material. Examination of the damaged plant material inside the trunk uncovered the abdomens of at least nine dead adult weevils, 7 empty RPW pupal cases, and one live adult weevil (possibly a male). This adult was killed and sent on overnight courier by the CDFA to the USDA-ARS Systematic Entomology Laboratory for official confirmation as RPW. The color morph of the RPW found today is the same dark morph with the red streak on the dorsal surface of the thorax (see photos at http://cisr.ucr.acsitefactory.com/invasive-species/red-palm-weevil).

It is likely that more than one palm in the immediate vicinity of theinfested palm that was examined today may have died from RPW attack. This possibility has not been officially confirmed, but there is circumstantial evidence to support this.

The RPW "mash" scooped out from inside the trunk of the infested palm.

It is anticipated that upcoming meetings between the CDFA and USDA-APHIS this week will result in the development of an outreach plan that will solicit input from the public to help with the detection on palms infested with RPW in and around the Laguna Beach site.

The CISR and CDFA RPW websites have contact details should readers of this blog suspect that they have a RPW infestation.

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INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON A NEW PEST IN ORANGE COUNTY – THE RED PALM WEEVIL

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:26:10 +0000

INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON A NEW PEST IN ORANGE COUNTY – THE RED PALM WEEVIL Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:26 More Blog Posts CISR Team October 28, 2010

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE

~OFFICIAL INVITATION~

INFORMATIONAL MEETING ON A NEW PEST IN ORANGE COUNTY –
THE RED PALM WEEVIL (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus)

Meeting – Friday, November 05, 2010
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

City Council Chambers
505 Forest Avenue
Laguna Beach, CA

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the University of California Cooperative Extension are hosting the first of several informational meetings. The goal of this meeting is to inform local government officials, arborists, public works, landscapers, and pest control advisors about the current RPW situation including properly identifying the pest and its feeding damage. Future meetings will target other industry members and the public.

Worldwide, the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is considered the most destructive pest of palms. A red palm weevil (RPW) discovery on a residential plant in Laguna Beach is the first time this beetle has been detected in the United States. The presence of the red palm weevil in California represents a serious threat to landscape palms as well as to the date palm industry.

Because you are an important member of California’s pest surveillance system, your participation in this meeting is needed to assist us in responding to this harmful, invasive pest before it becomes established. If you cannot attend this important meeting and require additional information, please contact our toll-free PEST HOTLINE at (800) 491-1899 or visit our red palm weevil website at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/rpw

(Note: Free Parking is available at the corner of Laguna Canyon Road and Forest Avenue, located one block away from the City Council Chambers)

Meeting Agenda:

Welcome – Rick LeFeuvre or designee (Orange County Agricultural Commissioner)
Red Palm Weevil Biology and Identification – Nick Nisson, Orange County Entomologist
Trapping and Surveillance – John Hooper or designee (CDFA)
Potential Regulatory Impacts – Nawal Sharma or designee (CDFA)
What you can do to Help – Dr. John Kabashima (UCCE)
Public Outreach Campaign – CDFA Public Information Officer
Question and Answer Session – CDFA will moderate

(Note: Special thanks to the City of Laguna Beach for providing free parking!)

For More Details Please Contact:
John Kabashima, M.B.A., Ph.D.
County Director/Environmental Horticulture Advisor
University of California Cooperative Extension, Orange County
1045 Arlington Dr.
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Ph: 714-708-1611
Fax: 714-708-2754
Email: jnkabashima@ucdavis.edu

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UC Riverside

Red Palm Weevil Infested Palm at Laguna Beach Removed

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:25:13 +0000

Red Palm Weevil Infested Palm at Laguna Beach Removed Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:25 More Blog Posts CISR Team November 12, 2010

The Crew - Nara Mnatsakanian (CDFA); Nick Nisson (OC Ag Comm); John Kabashima (UCCE); David Kellum (San Diego Co. Ag. Comm); Mohammed Alzubiady (CDFA); Jason Davlin (West Coast Arborists); Adrian Gonzales (CDFA); Jason Leathers (CDFA); Unknown (CDFA); Carol (USDA APHIS). Bottom two also from CDFA (names Unknown).

On Wednesday, November 03, 2010, a team of scientists from CISR, CDFA, UCCE, USDA-APHIS, the Orange and San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner’s Offices and West Coast Arborists returned to the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) affected site in Laguna Beach California.Inspection of a unhealthy Canary Islands palm the previous week resulted in the discovery of a live adult RPW in the trunk. Discussions concluded that the infected tree should be removed to prevent the continued possible breeding and spread of the RPW from that palm to other areas in the immediate vicinity.

The two main goals of the CDFA-sponsored project were: (1) removal and destruction of the RPW infested palm, and (2) to dissect the palm and determine how deep the infestation had proceeded through the trunk of the infested palm. It was decided that dissection of the palm could provide useful information on the level of RPW infestation in the trunk, if any live stages were still present, and how severe the internal damage was.

The palm was removed at its base and the trunk was carefully wrapped in heavy plastic sheeting and sealed with tape to prevent accidental escapes by RPW adults during transportation to the dissection site. The wrapped trunk was loaded onto a truck and transported to the city of Irvine, a designated and pre-approved dissection area a few miles away. Here, more plastic tarps and sheeting were placed on the ground to contain and prevent the unwanted escape of any RPW larva, pupae, or adults in the palm trunk once the cutting of the palm started.

First, the remaining palm fronds were removed from the trunk. This revealed many telltale signs of RPW activity. RPW tunneling had completely scarred the base of the fronds. The location of this damage was below that which an arborist would trim, making early detection of RPW difficult. Empty RPW cocoons were found at the cut ends of fronds where they had been attached to the trunk. These cocoons were again below the cut line making detection difficult.

This chunk was cut from the center of the palm trunk and shows solid trunk mass as well as the disintegrated mash caused by the Red Palm Weevil.

Most of the visible RPW damage to the palm was towards the top of the trunk. Starting at the top of the trunk, 4 to 8 inch slices of palm trunk were cut in sequence towards the base. The slices allowed examination of the internal damage RPW had caused to the trunk. The first few cut slices showed extensive RPW damage. The center had been hollowed out by RPW feeding, leaving a large empty space the width of a basketball. The inside walls of the trunk had extensive grooves from tunneling RPW larvae, which likely further weakened the palm. Instead of the hard fiber-like center typical for healthy palms, RPW feeding had left a soft degenerated mash of wet, fiber like sawdust that was very smelly.

The trunk slices were continued for about 3 or 4 feet before the solid undamaged central trunk mass was encountered. Further cuts into this area produced no further evidence of the RPW infestation. The remaining uninfested and damaged trunk sections were cut into small blocks. These blocks together with the fronds, and all other clippings, and shavings from the palm were double bagged in thick plastic and then sealed. The bagged remains of the dissected palm where transported to a landfill waste refuse site for immediate deep burial.

During the dissection process NO live RPW adults or larvae were found. Several RPW cocoons were pulled from the palm. The majority of these cocoons were empty, but a few had dead pupae that had failed to reach adulthood, or the cocoons contained a few incomplete body pieces. Many partial bodies of RPW adults were also found during the dissection. With so much visible internal and external damage to this palm, it begs the question, where did the adults go?

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Red Palm Weevil Outreach Meeting in Coachella Valley

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:21:46 +0000

Red Palm Weevil Outreach Meeting in Coachella Valley Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:21 More Blog Posts Christina Hoddle January 14, 2011

Albert Keck of Hadley Farms discussing Date Palm Production with RPW meeting attendees

While the Red Palm Weevil (RPW) infestation seems to be in a quiescent phase in Southern California, the community of researchers, public officials, arborists, nursery owners, and palm growers are getting ready for the imminent counter attack. This problem is being addressed aggressively and a series of RPW Outreach meetings sponsored by California Department of Food and Agriculture are being scheduled across Southern California over the next month. The purpose of these meetings is education and outreach to those individuals and groups that are on the frontline dealing with this ravenous pest. The more aware individuals are, especially those who may come across these insects in their daily lives (during work in the landscape, or gardening around the home), the better chance of detecting and containing the spread of this pest.

The first meeting in this RPW outreach series was held at the Coachella Valley Water District Forbes Auditorium on January 6, 2011. This well attended gathering was led by John Snyder, the Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner and supported by CDFA and USDA officials. The dynamic schedule included a talk by Nick Nisson (Orange County Ag Commission Entomologist) who discussed the basic biology of RPW, detection methods, and presented preserved RPW specimens (adults, larvae, and cocoons) for inspection by audience members. The meeting continued with a talk by Laura Petro (CDFA, Senior Agricultural Biologist) who discussed the current trapping and surveillance activities around find sites in Laguna Beach. Nawal Sharma (CDFA Pest Exclusion Branch) furthered the discussion with the potential regulatory impacts this pest will have on local industries. John Kabashima (University of CA Extension County Environmental Director) detailed how everyone could do their part in detecting, monitoring and reporting this pest. The meeting was concluded by David Pegos (CDFA, Special Assistant) discussing other outreach opportunities followed by a question and answer period.

Hadley Farm worker getting ready to dethorn Date Palm Tree

Posters and flyers, in English and Spanish, describing this insect and how to detect and report it were distributed. There was talk about having this meeting in Spanish and/or a Spanish video presentation made so that native Spanish speakers who work directly in or with palm trees have a better understanding of this problem and will be well aware of this pest and in a position to report finds.

Once the meeting concluded, Albert Keck, from Hadley Farms, generously gave an informational tour to local officials and researchers who attended the meeting of local date palm plantations including the demonstration by one of his highly skilled workers on how to dethorn a palm tree- an amazing site to see! This added bonus gave us an appreciation for how much work is involved in maintaining a date palm plantation and how devastating RPW could be to so many people’s livelihoods in the Coachella Valley.

Overall the meeting was a success for everyone involved. Information dissemination in this manner is potentially very powerful, and with additional meetings scheduled it is anticipated that the momentum from these outreach efforts can help control the RPW invasion in Southern California.

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Christina Hoddle

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Red Palm Weevil

CBS News Interested in the RPW Invasion in California

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:17:16 +0000

CBS News Interested in the RPW Invasion in California Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:17 More Blog Posts Christina Hoddle February 25, 2011

The Red Palm weevil (RPW) problem in southern California has picked up local news interest. Bill Whitaker and his news team from CBS evening news came to UCR on the 16th of February 2011 to interview Dr. Mark Hoddle about research that is being conducted at UCR on this pest. This interview was part of a series of interviews being conducted with those involved in the RPW technical working group, a team that has been put together to manage the incipient RPW invasion in Laguna Beach, Orange County California. Hoddle discussed the current RPW situation in Southern California, talked about what was currently being done to monitor this pest, and finally what future landscapes may look like if this pest establishes, and potential impacts on the Coachella Valley date industry and native palm oases in the desert. The Hoddle lab had on display the various Red Palm Weevil samples obtained from collaborators around the world. These RPW samples will be used in a DNA study in an attempt to determine the origins of the RPW population found in Laguna Beach. The final program is expected to air sometime in March/April 2011 once CBS has finished conducting interviews with other members of the technical working group, nursery growers, and date palm growers.

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Mark Hoddle

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Red Palm Weevil

Red Palm Weevil in Laguna Beach Dealt a Second Blow

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:11:02 +0000

Red Palm Weevil in Laguna Beach Dealt a Second Blow Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:11 More Blog Posts Mark Hoddle June 02, 2011

On June 2 2011, a second Canary Islands palm was inspected for red palm weevil in Laguna Beach, approximately one week (May 25 2011) after the first palm suspected to be infested with red palm weevil was inspected and confirmed to have red palm weevil activity, and subsequently treated with insecticides.

The process for selecting and treating palms at Laguna Beach has followed a strict process: (1) Palms with suspected red palm weevil damage (figure “7” notches and straight edges on the tips of fronds, or the presence of pupal cocoons lying on the ground underneath palms) were identified from visual surveys conducted on the ground. These palms were recommended for secondary inspection. (2) Detailed secondary visual inspection of suspect palms required the cutting of an observation window to access the central growing area of the palm to look for red palm weevil feeding damage. This is a highly favored feeding and breeding site. During frond removal to create the observation window, cut palm fronds were examimed for weevil feeding damage, the presence of pupation chambers and cocoons, and live and dead life stages, especially pupae and adults. (3) Confirmation of red palm weevil infestation (e.g., the presence of pupal cocoons in the tree, feeding tunnels made by larvae, or body parts of dead adults) based on the detailed secondary inspection triggered pesticide applications to control the pest population in the palm. This three step evaluation process culminating with the ultimate decision to treat with insecticides involved representatives from the Orange County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office, CDFA, USDA and local (UC Riverside), national (University of Florida), and international University (Spain and Israel) experts.

At the Pacific Coast Highway site, approximately 10 lower-level fronds on this palm were either dead or dying, and about 5-7 additional fronds exhibited red palm weevil feeding damage (i.e., the terminal ends of fronds were straight-across instead of pointed and figure “7” notches were present). Because of this easily observed visual damage, this palm was thought to be infested with red palm weevil and was prioritized for seconday inspection and if weevil activity was obvious, treatments would be applied.

A crane was used to inspect and spray the top of the palm

This inspection and treatment event was organized by Dr. John Kabashima (UCCE) and was attended by Dr. Mark Hoddle (UC Riverside), Laura Petro and Mohammed Alzubaidy (both CDFA), Nick Nisson (Orange County Entomologist), Roger Peterson (Approved Tree Care), Will Harrison (Target Specialty Products), and Chuck Galanti (MPA Landscape Services).

Starting at 8:00am, Caltrans closed one northbound lane of the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) to allow Approved Tree Care to set up a bucket lift to access the crown of the potentially infested palm. UC Riverside Entomologist, Mark Hoddle, with the assistance of an Approved Tree Care employee maneuvered the bucket approximately 25-30 feet above the PCH to reach the palm crown. An observation window was cut into the crown and approximately 12 palm fronds and around 5 fruit bunches were removed from the crown to create the window. None of the fronds cut from the palm showed evidence of red palm weevil tunneling, pupation chambers, or empty cocoons.

Mark Hoddle carefully inspects the palm for Red Palm Weevil

Inspection of the cut bases of fronds that had been removed previously during routine maintenance revealed the presence of old red palm weevil cocoons, and empty tunnels made by feeding larvae. The body parts of one dead adult red palm weevil were found. This dead adult weevil was red and black, the same color morph that has been found at other sites in Laguna Beach.

NO LIVE RED PALM WEEVIL LIFE STAGES WERE FOUND DURING THESE INSPECTIONS.

All material cut from the palm was chipped on site and transported to a local landfill to be buried.

The inspection window was treated with the maximum label rate of bifenthrin (donated by Target Specialty Products). Bifenthrin is a contact insecticide. It will kill red palm weevils by direct contact should wet spray hit the weevils, or if weevils move into the palm after the application they may be killed when they contact dried residues. This product provides immediate protection to cut areas of the palm that red palm weevil may find attractive and attack.

Mark Hoddle discusses what he found at the top of the palm

A second insecticide, 5% imidacloprid, was hand-injected with an Arbor-Systems Wedgle Direct-Inject System into the trunk about 0.5 m above the ground. Imidacloprid is a slow moving systemic insecticide and it will move from the point of injection through the trunk of the palm to the crown where red palm weevil larvae and adults may be feeding.

Injection needles were gently knocked into the trunk with a spacing of approximately six inches around the entire circumference. One hand-squeeze of the Direct-Inject System applied 1 ml of product through each needle into the trunk. Needles were removed following injections and sanitized prior to reuse. Trunk injections were made by Will Harrison, Target Specialty Products.

One hand-squeeze of the Direct-Inject System applied 1 ml of product through each needle into the trunk.

A third insecticide, dinotefuran, a fast moving systemic, was hand sprayed onto the trunk of the palm from ground level to a height of approximately 2 meters by a certified arborist from Approved Tree Care. This product will move quickly across the bark to enter the nutrient transport system of the palm which will move it to the crown where red palm weevil larvae and adults may be feeding. It is anticipated that this product will reach the crown more quickly than imidacloprid, but its persistence in the crown will not be particularly long. Although it is thought that imidacloprid will take longer to reach the crown than dinotefuran, it will last for significantly longer thereby increasing the time the palm will be protected internally from red palm weevil.

The CDFA collected palm foliage prior to the application of pesticides to test for insecticide residues. These analyses will provide the base line against which the concentration of the products applied today will be compared. The CDFA intends to take monthly foliage samples to test for imidacloprid and dinotefuran to determine how quickly and in what concentrations these insecticides occur in the foliage of this treated palm post-treatment. These data (especially the concentrations of the insecticides) will tell us how effective treatments may have been for controlling red palm weevil in this palm.

A pheromone bucket trap for red palm weevil was set at this site to trap adults that may fly to this palm. Every two weeks the CDFA will look for red palm weevil activity in the palm crown through the observation window.

For more information on Red Palm Weevil, visit the CISR website

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Red Palm Weevil

Palmageddon: Are California’s Palms about to Face the Perfect Storm?

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 02:08:26 +0000

Palmageddon: Are California’s Palms about to Face the Perfect Storm? Anonymous (not verified) Sun, 01/19/2020 - 18:08 More Blog Posts Mark Hoddle July 24, 2011

Two species of giant palm weevils, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (commonly known as the red palm weevil) and Rhynchophorus palmarum (South American palm weevil) have both been detected in Southern California. The red palm weevil (RPW) was officially discovered in Laguna Beach in Orange County (California USA) in September 2010. The beetle has been declared by FAO as a category-1 pest of date palms in the Middle-East. RPW, native to south east Asia, has been particularly devastating following its successful invasion into Mediterranean countries in Europe and Africa (e.g., Egypt). For about one year now, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has been intensively monitoring for RPW in Laguna Beach with approximately 250 RPW traps baited with aggregation pheromone and fruit. These traps have failed to capture adult RPW. Visual ground inspections of palms in Laguna Beach have identified trees potentially infested with RPW. One palm was inspected on 25 May 2011 and physical inspection confirmed feeding damage from RPW, but NO live RPW were found. This palm was treated with insecticides. On 2 June 2011, a second palm displaying symptoms of RPW damage was inspected physically. Again, feeding damage was confirmed but NO live RPW were detected. This palm was also treated with insecticides.

Damaged Palm in background compared to healthy palm in foreground. A collapsed palm crown is indicative of weevil feeding damage.

In December 2010 reports were received from palm enthusiasts in Tijuana Mexico of dying Canary Islands palms and these moribund palms were displaying symptoms similar to that expected from a RPW infestation. Physical inspection confirmed the presence of live palm weevils in at least one palm, and this weevil was officially identified at Rhynchophorus palmarum, the South American palm weevil (SAPW). This weevil is native to Mexico, Central and South America and is a well known palm pest, especially of coconuts. This weevil has been recorded feeding on 35 plant species in 12 different families, but is found predominantly on palms. SAPW has been problematic in Puerto Vallarta where in 2008 it was apparently linked to the mortality of more than 500 coconut palms in this popular tourist area.

In addition to the damage that SAPW larvae inflict while feeding inside the palm crown and trunk, this weevil also vectors a nematode, Rhadinaphelenchus cocophilus, which causes red-ring disease of coconut. The contamination of healthy plants with red-ring disease occurs only if SAPW are present. The nematode cannot survive outside of it’s palm hosts and it is moved from palm to palm by adult weevils. The nematode may also cause disease in oil palms, Elaeis guineensis.

Adult Rhynchophorus palmarum found next to its palm host

Following the discovery of SAPW in Tijuana, the CDFA commenced a monitoring program in San Ysidro in San Diego County (California USA) in March 2011. The area under surveillance with traps baited with SAPW aggregation pheromone is close to the USA-Mexico border. Mexican collaborators have also deployed SAPW pheromone traps in Tijuana to monitor for this pest. Monitoring efforts have trapped adult male and female SAPW weevils in San Ysidro and Tijuana that flew into traps in response to aggregation pheromone. So far no infested palm trees have been found in the San Ysidro area. Consequently, it is difficult to determine whether or not SAPW has breeding populations in San Diego County as pheromone traps may simply be catching SAPW dispersing from Tijuana into Southern California. This situation is being monitored very closely by the CDFA and the USDA.

Potentially, for the first time, an extraordinary invasion scenario may be unfolding in Southern California with respect to exotic palms and invasive palm weevils. Should RPW and SAPW establish in Southern California this will be the first time these two weevils have ever been together in the same place at the same time and potentially attacking the same palms simultaneously!

So what could this mean for the palms of Southern California? This is obviously difficult to answer, but one potential concern could be the ability of RPW to acquire from SAPW the red-ring disease nematode and spread it as well. If this happens, it may increase the vector capacity for this nematode as two weevil species instead of one could spread the nematode to susceptible palms. This could cause a severe disease epidemic for California’s palms. Should both palm weevils infest the same palm tree will this speed up the rate of palm mortality or will different larvae species attack each other while competing for food and slow the rate of palm mortality? Could both weevil species interbreed and produce less fit offspring (hybrid or outbreeding depression) or could hybridization create a more aggressive strain of palm weevil (hybrid vigor)? Finally, what is amazing about speculating over this situation is that it is an entirely a human-made problem! People have moved exotic palms to Southern California (e.g., Canary Islands palms from the Canary Islands and date palms from the Middle East), and people have facilitated the movement of exotic palms weevils from South East Asia (i.e., RPW) and Latin America (i.e., SAPW). People have also provided an ideal but highly artificial environment (i.e., irrigated urban and agricultural landscapes) for invasive weevils to potentially establish and proliferate on exotic palms in a part of the world where none of the players (i.e., palms and weevils) are native, but the climate is agreeable for their mutual co-existence.

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Rhynchophorus palmarum