Orange County Invasive Pests
Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) his pest responsible for spreading HLB, or citrus greening disease. Asian Citrus Psyllids are sucking insects. When they feed on a diseased tree, they spread the disease to other trees it feeds on, much like mosquitoes and fleas spread disease to people and animals. Link to Distribution and Management Resources.
Shot Hole Borers - Invasive shot hole borers, both polyphagous shot hole borers and Kuroshio shot hole borers are killing trees throughout Orange County. Both beetles introduce Fusarium fungus into the tree, which eventually kills the tree. Check here for identification, management options, and an online assessment tool.
Chilli Thrips (scirtothrips dorsalis Hood) prey on more than 200 different plants including, as their name implies, peppers. They are also pests of citrus trees, tomatoes, eggplant, and other edibles. Rose damage is characterized by small, misshapen leaves and tiny buds. Affected plant parts should be pruned, bagged, and placed in the trash, along with leaf litter on the ground below the plant. Check here for information on management.
Gold Spotted Oak Borer (GSOB). Agrilus auroguttatus Typical damage associated with GSOB-infested trees includes crown thinning and dieback, bark staining on the main stem, bark injury from woodpecker foraging, and D-shaped emergence holes on the main stem and larger branches of the tree. Following several years of extensive and repeated bouts of injury from larval feeding, tree health declines, and trees eventually die. Click here for more information.
South American Palm Weevil feeds by weevil larvae in the crown of palm trees, causes significant damage that may result in the death of meristematic tissues. If meristematic tissue is destroyed, it results in the “crown” of the palm dying and this inability to produce new fronds gradually leads to palm death. Palms, especially highly susceptible Canary Islands date palms, Phoenix canariensis, that are in the advanced stages of decline often have a “halo” of green fronds around the apex of the trunk and the palm crown has disintegrated. More information here.
Mosquitoes. The proliferation of new varieties can spread serious diseases such as West Nile Virus and Zika. The tiny Aedes aegypti mosquito can breed in a very small amount of water. Its eggs can remain viable in a dry state for a year and then hatch when water is present.