Category: News

Hawaii’s Jamilee Kempton sets new World Record at 2015 ITCC!

Jamilee Kempton won the Women’s Division at the 2015 International Tree Climbing Championship in March. The Aloha Arborist Association is very proud of Jamilee for winning the International title and setting a new World Record in the Women’s 15m Secured Footlock with a time of 20.16.67 seconds! ISA Results Page Local News Story!

Pest of the Month: Rapid Ohia Death

“Rapid Ohia Death” is a fungal pathogen called Ceratocystis. Altough newly discovered infecting Ohia, it has previously been found on other plants here including Okinawan sweet potato and taro as described in this recent article in the Hawaii Tribune Herald.

How to detect the Little Fire Ant

Check out this video produced by DLNR about how to detect the Little Fire Ant. Click here to see video

Identify the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Larvae

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle Best Management Practices

Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle (CRB) BMPs or Recommendations for Landscapers and Arborists By Rob Hauff  Remove standing dead coconut palms to prevent infestation. Decaying coconut wood is the preferred breeding habitat for CRB. Wood should be chipped and composted away from infested areas, preferably in few centralized piles, rather than multiple widely dispersed piles. Palms should …

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February 2014 Pest of the Month

Hawaii Early Detection Network Priority Pest for Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai, and Big Island. Have you seen Hala Scale (Thysanococcus pandani)? Identification: Presently only on the island of Maui. The hala scale insect (Thysanococcus pandani) causes yellowing of and serious damage to the leaves of Hala (Pandanus tectorius). Adult and immature scale insects are seen on …

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January 2014 Pest of the Month

Pest of the Month Update – Little Fire Ant (LFA), Wasmannia auropunctata.  The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has confirmed that the LFA has spread from Big Island to Maui and Oahu. http://www.kitv.com/news/hawaii/agriculture-officials-confirm-spread-of-fire-ant-to-oahu-maui/-/8905354/23720066/-/15huymlz/-/index.html http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/blog/main/lfaonhapuu/ Hosts: LFA are found both on the ground and in vegetation. They climb onto plants of all sizes, including trees, but they …

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November 2013 Pest of the Month

Biological Control Release of Tectococcus ovatus, a Gall-forming Scale Insect to Aid in the Control of Strawberry Guava (Psidium cattleianum) in Hawaii.  Strawberry guava was introduced to yards and gardens of Hawai‘i in 1825. Since then, it has spread into moist and wet forests statewide. Strawberry guava is killing and replacing native forests by forming dense, …

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October 2013 Pest of the Month

Melaleuca Psyllid – Boreioglycaspis melaleucae Moore An introduced psyllid for biological control of Paperbark trees in Florida. Hosts: Melaleuca quinquenervia (Paperbark Tree), Melaleuca leucadendra, Melaleuca nervosa, Melaleuca argentea, Melaleuca viridiflora, Melaleuca nodosa, and Callistemon citrinus (Bottlebrush). Distribution: B. melaleucae has been collected from all states in its native Australia except South Australia. Specimens released in …

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September 2013 Pest of the Month

Citrus Mealybug (Planococcus citri) Hosts: Annona, Arabica, and Robusta coffee, cotton, banana, carambola, cacao, flowering ginger, macadamia, mango and plants belonging to Citrus genus. Distribution: This pest has a pan tropical distribution that extends into subtropical regions. It is present in nearly all coffee growing countries. Damage: Leaves of plants attacked by the root form …

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