08-12-2007, 04:42 PM
At first, after reading your comment about the insect pests on the native plants, I wondered if there was any quarantine check between islands. But I recalled that at the Hawaiian Conservation Conference a few weeks back in Honolulu, the one and only entomologist who works for the State Plant Quarantine decried the fact that he and one other staffer are the only people available to screen incoming plants and ID potential insect pests. I don't think they have the bandwidth to even think about interisland shipments. (Which begs a question about the Superferry!)
Mitzi, your post reminded me of other interesting things that were the subjects of several symposia at the conference:
- Erythrina gall wasp that are decimating Wiliwili trees. This is the stuff of a best-selling mystery. This wasp traveled from the Island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar, across the Indian Ocean to India, through Southeast Asia, the South Pacific Islands, to Hawai'i, in one year! That was compared to the speed of a virus rather than an insect pest.
- 'Ohia rust, previously referred to as guava rust and eucalyptus rust, has so far not been having too much of an impact on the three native trees on which it's been found. The non-native rose apple has been the most affected.
- Also presented on were Brown Tree snakes, Imported Red Fire Ants, and Yellowjackets arriving on Christmas trees.
Mitzi, your post reminded me of other interesting things that were the subjects of several symposia at the conference:
- Erythrina gall wasp that are decimating Wiliwili trees. This is the stuff of a best-selling mystery. This wasp traveled from the Island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar, across the Indian Ocean to India, through Southeast Asia, the South Pacific Islands, to Hawai'i, in one year! That was compared to the speed of a virus rather than an insect pest.
- 'Ohia rust, previously referred to as guava rust and eucalyptus rust, has so far not been having too much of an impact on the three native trees on which it's been found. The non-native rose apple has been the most affected.
- Also presented on were Brown Tree snakes, Imported Red Fire Ants, and Yellowjackets arriving on Christmas trees.