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In the 150 years that eucalyptus have been in California, only quite recently have their native pests made it over from Australia. It's possible somebody is int

In the 150 years that eucalyptus have been in California, only quite recently have their native pests made it over from Australia. It's possible somebody is intentionally bringing eucalyptus harming pests over and there's some decent evidence pointing towards that. Further, there's some debate whether eucalyptus in California is beneficial or an invasive weed and whether attempts to introduce the pests' predators are a good idea or not.

Wingman4l7 14y ago
I was curious as to what the evidence for deliberate pest introduction was, so I skimmed the pertinent section of the article, and came away with this: -- the infestation "jumped" from one part of CA to another -- rumors of an individual bragging about having moved the borer -- borers initially detected in S. CA (ports/airports would make N. CA more likely) -- introductions of borers occurred in bunches with multi-year lulls -- native ranges of borer species all include the same east coast AU state -- the 2 invasive eucalyptus species are particularly suceptible to these borers -- pests have appeared in CA first before spreading; 7 are found only in AU and CA -- nursery trade does not import eucalyptus -- 14/17 of AU pests introduced in CA since 1980 are eucalyptus-specific -- only 2/16 eucalyptus pests arrived with their predators -- no South America / Asia pests have invaded CA, only AU pests Arguments against this theory: -- borer is the only pest so far found that is fatal to the eucalyptus -- pests could survive the 14-15 hour direct flight in a plane's cargo hold
wisty 14y ago
> Further, there's some debate whether eucalyptus in California is beneficial or an invasive weed and whether attempts to introduce the pests' predators are a good idea or not. Like pines, eucalypts drop toxic leaves, so all the other plants die. AFAIK, only Koalas can eat their leaves. The toxin is eucalyptus oil. Another strategy eucalypts have for eliminating the competition is exacerbating bushfires. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable; and unlike pines, eucalypts are fire resistant.

Wingman4l7 14y ago

I was curious as to what the evidence for deliberate pest introduction was, so I skimmed the pertinent section of the article, and came away with this: -- the infestation "jumped" from one part of CA to another -- rumors of an individual bragging about having moved the borer -- borers initially detected in S. CA (ports/airports would make N. CA more likely) -- introductions of borers occurred in bunches with multi-year lulls -- native ranges of borer species all include the same east coast AU state -- the 2 invasive eucalyptus species are particularly suceptible to these borers -- pests have appeared in CA first before spreading; 7 are found only in AU and CA -- nursery trade does not import eucalyptus -- 14/17 of AU pests introduced in CA since 1980 are eucalyptus-specific -- only 2/16 eucalyptus pests arrived with their predators -- no South America / Asia pests have invaded CA, only AU pests Arguments against this theory: -- borer is the only pest so far found that is fatal to the eucalyptus -- pests could survive the 14-15 hour direct flight in a plane's cargo hold

wisty 14y ago

> Further, there's some debate whether eucalyptus in California is beneficial or an invasive weed and whether attempts to introduce the pests' predators are a good idea or not. Like pines, eucalypts drop toxic leaves, so all the other plants die. AFAIK, only Koalas can eat their leaves. The toxin is eucalyptus oil. Another strategy eucalypts have for eliminating the competition is exacerbating bushfires. Eucalyptus oil is highly flammable; and unlike pines, eucalypts are fire resistant.