Ohia trees are dying rapidly, Why?

[pbmaise]

One purose of the forum is to correct the misinformation that the public obtains when trying to investigate. Correcting misinformation is greatly appreciated.


1. Many websites state fire ants in general are omnivores. Can "remove bark and girdle trees".
Yes these websites do not say specifically LFA.

http://www.extension.org/pages/60922/wha...SJlZjPvCl4

So LFA are unlike other fire ants? I admit I lump all fire ants into one group.


2. I cite a specific Xyleborus beetle that is devastating Florida with up to 92% loss of all red bay trees. This beetle is certainly not going around looking for trees already stressed or infected. For your statement to be true, almost all existing Ohia trees must be already infected.
http://www.journaloffloridastudies.org/0...lwilt.html

"
Aside from fungicide protection of individual, high-
value landscape trees (Mayfield et al. 2008c), current
strategies for disease control rely on early detection of laurel wilt in a new area, followed by aggressive sanitation practices, such as removal and chipping of wilted trees.

When I pose open questions asking if any attempts are being made to do similar attempts to save Ohia all I hear is it will take years to learn for sure, so in the meantime do nothing.

This is not the approach in the ER. When the patient arrives and the heart is stopped, you start it again and then look for reasons.

I want us to eliminate the term die - back. That implies a natural episodal process. What is going on with Ohia now doesn't seem natural.

3. Agreed. However, I didn't know they were in Hawaii 50 years already. The invasion date of 2002 I found on a list invasive species to Hawaii . Also it is so typical of US Defense to claim they prevented an invasion of a bug already present. This said, I believe midnight rambler. Strike Protaetia orientalis from list. However just keep them in the back of your mlnd. Unlike the name implies, and midnight says, flowers are not their only food.

Protaetia orientalis feed on organic matter in the soil, and some species damage the roots of plants (Borror et al., 1989). They are on the suspect list in Guam as being responsible for deaths of ironwoods.

So certainly poke around the ground of dying ironwoods for beetles.

This article is very good and covers some bacterial issues too.
http://mysare.sare.org/mySARE/ProjectRep...o=viewRept&pn=SW08-067&y=2013&t=1



4. The claim carpenter bees bore only into dead wood is refuted by a website carpenterbees. com. Further I think it logical to claim they only bore into dead wood is the tree is dead and laying on the ground. The nests I observed were 12-16 feet off the ground.

5. The fungus under Gypsy's dead grass in the yard was a leap when considering the dead Ohia nearby.