Hansen: One new Laguna visitor eradicated

Nearly five years ago, one of the world’s most destructive pests landed in Laguna Beach — the first time in the United States.

All it took was one sighting of a red palm weevil by a local arborist, and the agricultural community went on full alert.

As the battle against the bug known for decimating palm trees around the world began, traps were set throughout Laguna — essentially bait-laced plastic buckets tied to palm trees — and warning notices were distributed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

But now the danger is officially over. After only five captures, the red palm weevil is considered eradicated.

“This pest is a serious threat to our nursery growers and palm date farmers,” said department Secretary Karen Ross. “It endangers all of the decorative palms that are common in our landscape and part of the classic California image. A special ‘thank you’ goes out to the local arborist who originally reported this pest. That gave us a valuable head start.”

According to international guidelines, officials needed a three-year period free of bugs in order to declare eradication. The last confirmed detection in Laguna was in January 2012.

In almost every location around the world where the bug flourished, it has killed palm trees within a year. It is native to Southeast Asia but has spread to Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Before it mysteriously hit Laguna, the closest confirmed infestation was in the Dutch Antilles.

The way the weevil kills is both effective and maternal. Female bugs bore into the tree and lay an average of 250 eggs, which take only three days to hatch, according to the agriculture department. The larvae continue tunneling toward the interior of the tree, cutting off access to water.

Because the tunnels are small, early detection is nearly impossible. In large infestations, dead adult weevils will eventually be found on the ground around the tree.

While Laguna has dogged a bug for now, California is basically in a constant state of alert. The agriculture department is currently tracking several bad bugs around the state.

“We are always usually dealing with some sort of invasive-species event in California like the red palm weevil,” said Steve Lyle, director of public affairs for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “We’re getting ready to declare a quarantine for the guava fruit fly in Long Beach.”

The guava fruit fly has become a major pest for growers of citrus, peach and several kinds of tropical fruits.

“We do a lot of work on fruit flies that are exotic invasive fruit flies every year,” said Lyle. “Right now in the Sacramento area we have a couple of programs in place to try and eradicate the Japanese beetle. It’s just a voracious pest. We’ve got the Asian citrus psyllid, which is well established throughout much of California.”

Lyle said the problem with the Asian citrus psyllid is that it leads to “citrus greening.”

“It’s a fatal disease to citrus plants and citrus trees, and it’s a legitimate threat to the citrus heritage and citrus industry of California,” Lyle said. “So the work we did with the palm weevil in your area is indicative of work we’re always doing throughout California to try to protect against invasive species.”

As for Long Beach’s quarantine, Lyle said the number of bugs has crossed the threshold.

“We’ve started a treatment program there for that pest,” he said. “And we’ve just detected the trigger for a quarantine or regulatory program to try and protect the spread of that pest, which is eight flies.”

What starts out as only a handful of bugs leads to an immediate action plan, Lyle said. If you consider the size of the state, the number of cargo ships arriving daily and the sheer volume of people visiting from international locations, the scope of the challenge is daunting.

In the case of the red palm weevil, the ubiquitous white traps on the palm trees of Laguna were a five-year reminder of the threat.

And with weather patterns changing, migration routes shifting and the odds simply adding up, it’s only a matter of time before new pests arrive, ready to enjoy life in Laguna.

DAVID HANSEN is a writer and Laguna Beach resident. He can be reached at [email protected].