RE: Ants

Jim,

Is anything known about the contribution of hobbyists importing pests, in addition to agricultural trade, transport by vehicles and ballast, open land borders, and such?

Wim


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ferns@hort.net [o*@hort.net]On Behalf Of
James Downer
Sent: Wed, April 27, 2005 19:29 
To: ferns@hort.net
Subject: RE: [ferns] Ants


This is not a debate over Ideologies.  We receive a new insect pest in
California every three months.  Many of them quite damaging.  IT really does
cost us in CA millions in crop loss.  Betsy I would not have responded to
the net if the posting I read had explained as you just did.  You are
certainly off the hook.  But everyone who collects and imports plants (some
do it on the sly) needs to be aware of the tremendous potential for harm.
Sudden Oak death and the glassy winged sharpshooter have caused California
growers to lose hundreds of millions of dollars and that is all from just
two pests.  We are constantly assaulted with new homopterans (scale,
whiteflies, psyllids, meallybugs etc.) while at the same time we are losing
chemical controls due to environmental restrictions and insect resistance.
The biorational pesticides are great but sometimes they are not enough.  

JIM
  

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ferns@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of Betsy
Feuerstein
Sent: Wednesday, April 27, 2005 10:14 AM
To: ferns@hort.net
Subject: Re: [ferns] Ants


You know, I even brought this to the attention of the inspectors at 
Miami Ag and they checked the specie and decided it was already here and 
was not a problem so I feel well covered on that one. We could become 
isolationists and that seems to be what we are becoming but in the 
process we lose so much potential for the new potentials in plants from 
medicine, to horticulture, to hobbyists. I am well aware that there is a 
worldwide debate over such idealologies.
Betsy

James Downer wrote:

>Betsy this is really bad.  This is how exotic pests enter the United 
>States and cause literally Billions of dollars of damage.  We really 
>need to be careful when bringing new species of insects into the US, 
>even ants.
>
>Jim Downer
>University of California
>Cooperative Extension
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-ferns@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf Of 
>Betsy Feuerstein
>Sent: Tuesday, April 26, 2005 5:26 PM
>To: ferns@hort.net
>Subject: Re: [ferns] Ants
>
>
>Reggie and the group,
>
>I have a similar story with solanopteris in Ecuador where I tried to
>drown them to no avail. I was covered in stinging ants so finally I 
>bagged them up tightly and you can guess the rest......... they were 
>still there. I gambled and got them home and the ants were still there 
>when I got home.
>
>Betsy
>
>Regferns@aol.com wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Many of the Lecanopteris species are also homes for ants.  Ants are
>>also
>>attracted to plants with nectaries, such as many of the Aglaomorpha
>>    
>>
>species,
>  
>
>>particularly Photinopteris speciosum (now Aglaomorpha speciosa).
>>    
>>
>Interesting
>  
>
>>timing with the talk of Solanopteris brunei (the Potato Fern).   Last
>>    
>>
>evening,
>  
>
>>Robbin Moran spoke in Miami to the Tropical Fern & Exotic  Plant 
>>Society.
>>    
>>
>This
>  
>
>>morning around the breakfast table we were discussing  Solanopteris.  
>>This
>>discussion was prompted by the fact that a couple  of years ago while in
>>    
>>
>Borneo,
>  
>
>>we bought several specimens of Platycerium  ridleyi.  The plants were
>>infested with stinging black ants.  After  almost 1 hour of trying to
>>    
>>
>dislodge the
>  
>
>>ants from the plants (with  lots of water), ants were still coming 
>>out.  We
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>noticed that there were  numerous chambers, nooks and crannies in the 
>>base
>>    
>>
>fronds,
>  
>
>>and the ants had  thoroughly and efficiently colonized these plants.  
>>Some
>>observers have  surmised that there is a symbiotic relationship between
the
>>    
>>
>ants
>  
>
>>and Platycerium ridleyi. The ants do come out in force to defend their
>>home.  
>>
>>Reggie  Whitehead
>>Tropical Fern & Exotic Plant  Society
>>
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