Nothing Fab About These Beetles

One of the glories of Florida’s verdant landscape is the bay oak – more correctly known as the redbay tree – which is seen all over Indian River County. Now, alas, this tall member of the laurel family, which can reach heights of 50 feet or more, is being threatened by an insidious disease called laurel wilt, which infects the sapwood of the trees, restricting the flow of water and causing the leaves to die.

The fungus is spread by small beetles called the Redbay Ambrosia Beetle, which were first detected in 2002 in Port Wentworth, Ga. The beetles, which most likely were stowaways in a wooden crate from the Far East, quickly spread through Georgia and South Carolina, then made their debut in Florida near St. Augustine in 2005. After spreading throughout North Florida, they suddenly appeared in Indian River County, most likely the result of someone carrying home infected firewood from the northern part of the state.

Read the entire article in the November 2009 issue