“Bad Bugs”
Usually in my reports about “bad bugs” and trees the culprit is some exotic import. Not this time. A tiny native walnut twig beetle found in California, Arizona, and New Mexico known as “Pityophorus juglanois” was first discovered in 1959 as just another bark beetle, has recently been associated with the death of walnut trees all along the west coast as far north as Washington and Oregon, as for east as Idaho and Utah.
The little critter doesn’t do much harm, but it is suspected it carries a new disease coined “thousand cankers disease.” There is concern that the disease itself is exotic and that it may spread east to the white (English) walnut industry (where our edible walnuts are grown) and to the Black walnut trees of the northeast praised for its wood in veneers and furniture. So far No control is known… Stay tuned.
Tags: bad bugs, bug news, thousand cankers disease, Tree Care & Prevention, twig beetle, walnut trees
