Re: Light Brown Apple Moth

---

It has been in Hawaii for a while.  Did some checking and apparently form
the 1800's.   Currently it isnt a big pest.  Dont know what it was like when
it first arrived.  I concur with Jason, very hard to say what a new speices
will do in an area with out its associated predators or parasites.  However,
apparently in Hawaii a speceis of Trichogramma wasps is proably the most
important parasite.  Suspect that trichogramma get around and people will
find them already in CA.  I actually went looking for LBAM once upon a time
and could never find them, even though where I am living is mild climate
most of the year and not unlike coastal southern california (3700 feet
elevation and in the rain shadow of the mountain).  And yes we got apples,
pears, grapes,etc....
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jason D" <j*@yahoo.com>
To: <k*@bigpond.net.au>; <m*@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 6:26 PM
Subject: Re: Light Brown Apple Moth


> Here in California they are unlikely to be held in
> check by their natural predators (since those species
> don't likely live here), and if the LBAM is active
> during certain times of certain temperature ranges,
> the possibility exists that in our milder coastal
> regions they would remain active for much longer than
> in habitat.
> There's no telling how an exotic species will perform
> out of its natural context.
> Jason Dewees
> San Francisco
>
> --- khe36747 <k*@bigpond.net.au> wrote:
>
>> I don't know if my experience with light brown apple
>> moth is relevant as like plants out of place, pests
>> out of place seem to behave differently, but here
>> goes. Here in their natural habitat, I find they are
>> a seasonal pest of spring and occasionally autumn,
>> and they seem to have a very narrow temperature
>> range. Once it heats up or gets cool they disappear.
>> They seem to last a week or two twice a year. They
>> are destructive of new growth but of established
>> plants, trees a year or two old, not seedlings. They
>> prefer what used to be called eucalypts. Rarely do
>> they do so much damage that the tree is compromised
>> but if an infestation is followed by any adverse
>> event then the tree may die. A bad infestation does
>> seem to weaken a plant in ways that are not obvious.
>> Treating them seems to be a waste of time here as
>> the climate usually takes care of them and they seem
>> unresponsive to everything except plunging the
>> beggers in hot water and screaming 'die you demons,
>> die'. I am curious as to what you are being
>> threatened with by way of the consequences of their
>> arrival, because, as I mentioned they are a minor
>> problem here rather than one of those things that
>> make me think lovingly of concrete and parking lots.
>>
>> Margaret Healey
>> Near Ballarat
>>   ----- Original Message -----
>>   From: p*@att.net
>>   To: m*@ucdavis.edu
>>   Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2007 4:49 AM
>>   Subject: Light Brown Apple Moth
>>
>>
>>   I have just been reading about the light brown
>> apple moth, which has just been found in the
>> California Bay Area. I am wondering if there are
>> members from other continents who have any
>> experience with this pest?
>>
>>   It seems to eat everything (well 250 species, in
>> many plant families). It is from S.E. Australia. I
>> wonder if it has moved to mediterranean parts of
>> that continent or other mediterranean areas? The
>> article in yesterday's Chronicle (Business Section,
>> for California members--you can read the article on
>> sfgate.com) says it has invaded New Zealand,
>> Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Hawaii. From the
>> Web, I think maybe it is in Europe too?
>>
>>   My question is whether any members live in areas
>> where it has invaded, and, if so, is it as awful as
>> it sounds? What is done locally to manage it?
>>
>>   Thanks,
>>
>>   Pam Peirce
>>   San Francisco, CA