At 11:00 am on the 20 December 2011, approximately 30-40 people assembled at the UC Riverside Biological Control Grove to participate in the first release in California of the Asian citrus psyllid natural enemy, Tamarixia radiata. Representatives from the University of California, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Citrus Research Board, and Citrus Pest and...
In September 2011, Asian Tiger Mosquito ( Aedes albopictus) was found in Southern California. Small pockets of communities were reporting extremely aggressive, daytime biting mosquitoes – a telltale sign of the Asian Tiger Mosquito. The Asian Tiger Mosquito was first found in isolated pockets of California in the early 1970’s. It was eradicated, but showed...
Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) was found in California in late 2008 in San Diego and Imperial Counties. This invasive pest sucks sap from citrus and is a major concern for California because when feeds ACP inject into trees bacteria that cause a lethal disease of citrus known as huanglongbing (HLB). This plant disease is incurable...
In August 2010, red palm weevil (RPW), was officially detected in Laguna Beach, Orange County California. This insect was recovered from a dying Canary Islands palm in a residential property and has been declared by FAO to be the world’s most destructive palm pest. At least 2-3 additional palms are thought to have been killed...
Recently CISR Director, Mark Hoddle, was interviewed on the Voice of Russia Radio about new research on invasive species after 9-11. The Associated Press reported hundreds of agricultural scientist who normally conducted inspections for invasive species were redirected to Homeland Security, causing a huge spike of invasive species coming into the US. AP reports its...
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...
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...
On May 25 2011, a Canary Islands palm suspected of being infested with red palm weevil in a private residence in Laguna beach was inspected for this pest and later 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...
Bed Bugs, Cimex lectularius, Cimex hemipterus and Leptocimex boueti (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) Overview. Human bed bugs were virtually eradicated from the developed world in the middle of the 20 th century. However, as of the first decade of the 21 st century, bed bugs are back and winning. Bed bug infestations have been reported from all...
The discovery of red palm weevil (RPW) in Laguna Beach Orange County, California USA has generated considerable interest amongst University of California Riverside research scientists and County, State, and Federal regulatory agencies. There are two color forms of the red palm weevil, the orange form (known as Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) and the black form with the...
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...
Brown Marmorated Stink Bug (Halyomorpha halys) The situation: The brown marmorated stink bug is a highly polyphagous insect that is native to Eastern Asia. The pest status of this insect stems from feeding damage caused on a wide range of vegetable crops, fruit trees, and ornamentals. Moreover, it is considered a nuisance pest due to...
California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), together with the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner and the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) are hosting a Red Palm Weevil Outreach Meeting. Wednesday, January 26, 2011 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM Farm Bureau Building 1000 Broadway El Centro, CA 92243 If you cannot attend this meeting but...
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...
On a recent trip to southern France, I discovered firsthand how destructive red palm weevil (RPW) could be for California if we don’t act fast to eradicate and control this pest. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, the French didn’t have the ability to stop this pest before it exploded into the massive problem they...
Red Palm Weevil Technical Working Group Field Trip to Laguna Beach 29 November to 1 December 2010 The red palm weevil (RPW) technical working group (TWG) met for three days in Laguna Beach over the period 29 November to 1 December 2010. The TWG was comprised of experts working on RPW in Spain, Israel, and...
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...
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...
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...
Update on the Red Palm Weevil Infestation in Laguna Beach 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...
