That isn't good news at all. All those great butterfly larval host trees being devasted by beetles. I know there are folks who love beetles...but we don't need ones that can wipe out our native stock.

That beetle is also known to damage fruit bearing trees such as peach, plum, cherry, persimmon as well as golden raintree, sweet gum, Shumard oak, Chinese elm, sweet potato and magnolia trees.

Not meaning to get on a soapbox but this is a good reminder for all of us who do international trades. It only takes one gravid female!!!

I can happily say all of us who do international trades haven't introduced a pest...none so far that I know of.

The majority of pests affecting our US agriculture and forests have come from wood packing materials brought in from other countries. Well, the Gypsy moth was brought in by someone trying to find an easier way to produce silk and a few of the buggers got loose.

By wood packing materials we are talking about pallets, wooden crates and wood braces used to pack and transport merchandise. Furniture products are also inspected - many of the wood products are untreated/unsealed.

We return numerous trucks on a daily basis because the wood pallets or crates the merchandise is sitting or packed on are not properly marked. WPM must indicate they have undergone heat or chemical processing to kill off any eggs, larva etc that may be on or inside the wood.

Can't tell you the number of times the shipper wants to transload the cargo and send back only the pallets or crates. HA! That's a big no-no. Everything goes back intact!!! We've been sending trucks back for several years but some folks just don't learn! I grin when I think of the cost of returning a high dollar or several ton shipment - the cost itself, then having to pay to unload and reload onto good WPM, ship back and re-process paperwork. Yep, lots of footwork and $$ involved but they just don't learn! :o)

Hate to say it but most areas surrounding the bigger seaports and airports will be the ones to notice pests affecting their native plants. This is simply because those areas are the first port of lading and many of the shipments that get off foreign vessels or planes are taken down and distributed from there or loaded onto trucks or rail to move elsewhere.

~ Cat

Wow, I sure will keep an eye on my Redbay. I do have the Camphor as well. Will see how it does too. Thanks for the warning.

That is terrible, Miss Sherry. Sounds like the destruction could be devastating.

Unfortunately, Camphor is not hardy in Oklahoma. Only lindera benzoin and Sasafrass. Are the SBSTs known to use anything other than the linderas, sasafrass, and persea species? I am not real familiar with the lauraceae family, but a cursory search revealed that most are tropical and not suited to a temperate climate like Oklahoma.

I am curious how the problem is being handled, e.g., pesticides (oh, no!).

As far as I know, spicebush swallowtails only use lindera/spicebush, sassafras, and occasionally persea/red bay and cinnamomum camphora/camphor tree. Palamedes swallowtails don't lay their eggs on anything but persea borbonia/red bay, persea palustris/swamp bay, or other less common perseas.
I guess there might be members of the laurel family from other parts of the world that they'd use that wouldn't get the disease - I sure hope so!
MissSherry

YIKES! This is dastardly news, indeed! I hope something can be done immediately to eliminate the spread of the fungus and the beetle...

It is bad news.

It's is great, however, that we have someone like Cat who's so knowledgeable about these issues from a practical standpoint.

If everyone were so vigilant, we'd have a lot less of this kind of news.

Crap! I've known about this for quite some time, but it had slipped to the back of my mind.

I still keep in close touch with the arboricultural and horticultural community back in the Hilton Head area where I lived for such a long time. They began to notice a problem years ago. Someone has mentioned to me that he hadn't seen a bay tree in the area for 3 years. (Don't know if that's true.)

What makes this so difficult is that this introduced vector of the disease is one of the many Ambrosia beetles, a very common group of insects. There's not much that can be done, at the present time, to protect our plants from these little critters.

At one time, the native stands of mixed forest in that area were packed with bay. I wonder what the situation is at Hunting Island State Park, outside of Beaufort. It is primarily a wilderness maritime forest, full of these now threatened plant species.

I'll put out some 'feelers' and see what I can come up with.

Here is a link that might be useful: FYI

I'm very sorry to hear about this. I guess travel between countries is good in some ways but not in others. Sometimes people knowingly bring a foreign species of plant or animal into this country, and other times they hitch rides with the cargo. I'm not up on the diseases but was it also a beetle that caused Dutch Elm disease? What did people do about that? There are still elms around, and I hope that this laurel disease will be kept in check because I'd hate for any more of these plants to be wiped out.

The thought of losing all our laurels is SO depressing to me! In addition to palamedes and spicebush swallowtails, they host many of our beautiful moths. Also, I know that birds go wild over sassafras fruit/seeds, and they probably like persea and lindera seeds as well, I just haven't witnessed them scarfing them up like I have sassafras fruit.
I sure wish somebody would/could do something about this!
MissSherry

Just heard back from one of my SC contacts who informed me that I'd be shocked if I made my way down there for a visit. He reports that a state biologist is visiting Hunting Island next week to inspect and evaluate the situation. As with the elms, the only reasonable method to control the spread of this rampant disease is to cull the plants. With insect vectored diseases, distance between individual plants is key to management. Even those trees that still show no signs of the disease are likely to be removed.

Research is still continuing to find (and/or create) DED resistant American elms, and to study their DNA. Such elms have begun to be introduced to the market and are being planted cautiously.

So many millions of American Elms have been removed, that the occurrence of the disease has fallen dramatically. The bark beetles that spread the disease are still everywhere, but they don't carry pathogens from one tree to the next as in the past. Historically significant specimens are able to be treated chemically to prevent the introduction of the disease, something that (obviously) can't be done on a large scale.

Thanks, Rhizo - please keep in touch with your SC contact and keep us posted! I'm a long way from the east coast - maybe they'll find a "cure" before it gets to the woods in this area, which are full of persea and sassafras.
I've decided to augment my woodland plantings with as many different members of the laurel family, especially persea and lindera, that I can find - I can't find any sassafras other than our own s. albidum. I've already e-mailed Woodlanders in SC asking them to add persea/machilus thunbergii, lindera fragrans, and lindera strychnifolia to my little order, and I'll add lindera erythrocarpum and l. praecox to my little Forest Farm order later on. The nurseries I order from all propagate their own plants and don't import them. I figure if palamedes and/or spicebush swallowtails will lay eggs on any of these foreign laurels, that'll improve their chances of making it in the future. I'll call Louisiana Nursery in Opelousas today - they some additional types of persea.
MissSherry

That's an excellent idea, MissSherry - one I wholeheartedly support. Trying out other plants in the same family is always a good way to have a "back up" in place for anything that supports our butterfly cats. That's one reason I've been trying so many other apiaceae family members (also taking into consideration subtantial foliation, climate differences, etc.). Perhaps I should try this with the laurel family as well.

Although I know the spicebush butterflies use Camphor, it is not hardy much further north than your zone, MissSherry, and others who live in the lower south to tropical zones. So far, our only known sources are lindera benzoin and Sasafrass. So, I've been doing a bit of research on other species in the laural family.

Butterflies have been known to change their host food plant in the absence of their preferred host. Perhaps we may see that happening. I actually hope it might occur before the SBST becomes another rare or endangered species, like the Baltimores, who we are now finding out are choosing plaintain in addition to chelone glabra.

Susan

I hope it can be contained and hopefully controlled.

If worst comes to worst then hopefully we will be able to find alternative host plants that are resistant.

Since the disease is in South Carolina it seems like it wouldn't be such a good idea to order plants from that area, right? It did say coastal SC, but they also said it is spreading to new counties rapidly, so ordering plants from the infected states or areas seems like the last thing you would want to do.

The disease (according to the article) has been identified in Florida, SC, and Georgia. I'd not expect it to be contained to those areas. Insects are a bit challenging to manage.

Woodlander's is in Aiken, SC, which is far inland. This disease is supposed to affect the plants quickly, so I feel sure if any of their laurels have it, they'd know right away.
I'll inspect them myself, though, for any signs of the disease or the larvae.
MissSherry

I e-mailed George Mitchell, the owner of Woodlanders, with all the information I have about the beetle/fungus, plus a link to the information on the Tree Forum. If he can't positively convince me that the laurels in my order are okay, I'll just burn the whole order - I'd sure hate to be the one that introduced it this far west!
MissSherry

My order was mailed out yesterday, too late to cancel it.
MissSherry

Read up on these insects. I think you will find that they have little or no interest (or ability) in burrowing into small seedlings. I would not burn your order; I truly believe that your plants will be insect free.

Remember, the disease is not spread from plant to plant, but from insect to plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: Check this link

Thanks so much for the link, Rhizo! I read it thoroughly, and I agree that small seedling or cutting grown plants wouldn't give the beetle any place to tunnel and start the process. I also looked up Aiken on my map and compared it to my map that shows where redbay grows, right down to the county - it looks like Aiken is right on the edge of its natural range. Also, the article, which was revised in July, 2006, says that the infestation was limited to the coastal counties plus one county inland as far north as Charleston, SC - Aiken County is probably not affected.
Still, I'll check the plants, and if I see anything the least bit odd, I'll burn them.
MissSherry

Rhizo, I received a reply to my e-mail from Bob McCartney. He said they'd been keeping watch on the ambrosia beetle situation, and that it hasn't shown up on any red bays in his area. I think my order should be fine.
MissSherry

The best protection against something like this is providing a good healthy growing environment. A healthy plant under no stress is less susceptible to pests than one struggling to survive.

An Entomologist once told me he thought insects could differentiate between a healthy tree or plant and one struggling because of environmental stress, be it poor location, poor soil or drainage, or lack of care to get it established and healthy. They are quick to attack a struggling plant over something in good health and pushing good growth.

Much like large predators on the African plains cull out weak herbivores possibly from some type of signal or pheromone released from the weak individual, pests and plants do something very similar.

randy

Yes, Randy, nature sometimes takes things into her own hands. But, I do believe that healthy plants in the environment they are suited to be in, will overcome most issues.

And for those of us who don't use chemicals or pesticides in our gardens, this is especially important.

Susan

Funny you should bring this up (about healthy plants). The article I linked to just above mentions that THIS dratted little Ambrosia Beetle appears to be perfectly happy in attacking healthy plants, unlike so many of the other wood boring or tunneling insects.

That, of course, would be the case when you are talking about entire populations of one species being wiped out in a given area.

MissSherry, if you email Bob again, tell him Dorie Eckard (formerly of Beaufort) said 'Hey, Bob!'!

I will, Rhizo.
I e-mailed him back and asked him if he ever propagated pond spicebush/lindera subcoriacea, a rare native spicebush that's supposed to have thick leaves. If it has thick leaves, it's possible that it has a thick trunk and branches that ambrosia beetles wouldn't want to fool with. I e-mailed the local Crosby Arboretum in Picayune, who maintain about 100 acres of land, I think, called Steep Hollow just to protect the l. subcoriacea that grows there. I haven't heard back from them, so I was hoping that Bob might know where I could get some plants and/or seeds - I could probably be successful in growing it in the (wet) bottom of the hollow.
I've read that Beaufort is a beautiful place - my mother wants me to take her there to visit, also to Savannah and Charleston - maybe one day I will.
MissSherry

Bob never answered my e-mail, so I guess he doesn't have any lindera subcoriacea to propagate. :(
I got my machilus/persea thunbergii and lindera strychnifolia from Woodlander's today. I'd never have thought the l. strychnifolia/Japanese evergreen spicebush was a spicebush! The leaves are glossy, and the leaf veins run parallel to each other to the front of each leaf - it looks like a bush version of the tough smilax that grows around here.
The machilus/persea thunbergii looks very much like our native redbays and swamp bays, except that the leaves are rounder - it's real pretty.
I've got two more linderas - l. erythrocarpum/Chinese spicebush and l. praecox (from Japan) - coming soon from Forest Farm. If you know of any place that carries any other types of Asian laurels, please let me know.
MissSherry

OK, I'm just getting back in the swing of things, and now I have something to worry about! I have 1 lindera, and a couple of bays, and at least 1 sassafrass. I'm in southren Horry county on the SC coast, about 90 miles North of Charleston.

oh boy.....

MissSherry: Litsea cubeba or Mountain Pepper is in the laurel family; the Phoebe tree is also in the laurel family. I found these at Woodlanders mail order nursery on line, just in case you're interested. While these are hardy in your area (zone 8), they're not in mine.

Susan

Hehehe!! That's so funny, Susan - I just ordered 4 more members of the laurel family from Woodlander's, including the one you mentioned! I ordered litsea cubeba, l. japonica, lindera megaphylla, and cinnamomum jensenianum. I also found 3 more members of that family available at Forest Farm, so I'll order them later in the spring. I've looked up the names of all the members of that family, so I'd know what to order.
I'm going to have quite a collection of Asian laurels!
MissSherry

As I understand it your laurels and our bay trees are in the same family. Ours are a carrier of the Sudden Oak Death virus. So are camellias and rhododrendon. Mom Nature makes sure that it is survival of the fittest everywhere!

Penny

Hee Hee, MissSherry - great minds and all that! Yeah, I'd love to grow a cinnamon tree, but they're not hardy here either. I got real excited when I saw it offered, but NAH! only hardy to zone 8b, if I recall correctly.

But, we all now know that MissSherry is NOT going to be resting on her laurels! LOL!

Susan

Thought I might also mention - the S&H is extremely low compared to a lot of other nurseries!

Susan

Yes, Woodlander's S&H is indeed lower than other nurseries, including Forest Farm. But then, I'm a lot closer to SC than I am to Oregon, so I'm sure that has something to do with it.
Penney, one of the 3 plants that I was planning to order from Forest Farm was umbellularia californica, also known as California bay - maybe I'll skip that one!
MissSherry