Borers in California

John asked about whether he needs to worry about borers in California.  

As was mentioned in reply, Agriculture Canada has recorded borers in
Vancouver, so it has reached the west coast.  The question is, whether
it would survive further south in the dry summers in California and Rick
suggested that it would not.  My view is that one should not be to
relaxed.  The borer only lives outside the plant for a very short time
as a larva, from hatching until it is large enough to eat its way into
the leaf.  After that, it is protected from drought, spraying, etc. by
living in the rhizome.  The only time it ventures out is to move on to
another rhizome when it has exhausted the food and by this time it is
usually pretty large and tough.  

My conclusion is that I would examine each plant carefully and protect
yourselves against something that could become a major problem, or cost,
especially for commerical growers.

When I moved Bruce Richardson's collection up to Ottawa from Hamilton in
late spring, it was quite a job and I forgot all about borers.  It
turned out that I spent far more time digging plants up and killing
borers, every evening for about two weeks, than I spent on the move!  I
only have a garden an not particularly large.

Ian, in Ottawa where it is mild, -2C, and we have about four inches of
new snow.
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