February 2013 archive

Pest of the Month January 2013 – Coconut Leaf Beetles (Brontispa longissma – PEST ALERT & Brontispa chalybeipennis – in Hawaii)

Most of the info below is for B. longissma. Distribution: Native to Indonesia andPapua New Guinea.  Found in Australia, many Pacific Islands, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, the Maldives, Myanmar, and China Hosts: Coconut palms preferred, attacks more than 20 palm species including royal palm, Alexandra palm,Californiafan palm, Mexican fan palm, bottle palm, Chinese …

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Lobate Lac Scale Update

            The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) has requested that the green waste generated from pruning or removing a Lobate Lac Scale (LLS) infested plant be left at the site where it originated to reduce the risk of spreading this pest around Oahu.  For example, chipped green waste from a tree can be left as …

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Pest of the Month October 2012 – Potassium Deficiency of Palms

Symptoms: Light-colored or brown necrotic speckling, and scorching of the leaf tips or margins. Show on lower, older leaves first. Advanced symptoms include reduced crown size and smaller trunk diameter (penciling). New leaves may be small, frizzled, and chlorotic.  Plant death is possible. Causes: Soil is infertile and inherently low in K Potassium in soil …

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Lobate Lac Scale – A “Most Unwanted” Pest

Lobate lac scale (Paratachardina pseudolobata) was discovered on Oahu at Moanalua Gardens during the Hawaii Tree Climbing Championship the first weekend in October 2012. To the large gathering of arborists, it was obvious that something was wrong with a weeping banyan (Ficus benjamina) there. It had major dieback and the part that wasn’t dead was …

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