What is it about?

The redbay ambrosia beetle (RAB), endemic to Southeast Asia, is an invasive wood-boring weevil first detected in Georgia, USA in 2002, but since has established and spread to 11 additional states. Female beetles carry spores of symbiotic fungi that are transferred to host trees during gallery excavation. These spores develop into fungal gardens which provide food for RAB; however, the fungus causes laurel wilt, a lethal vascular disease of avocado, redbay, sassafras and other trees in the laurel family. With continued spread through Texas, or through human transport of infested wood, RAB will likely enter Mexico. In advance of such an event, scientists from the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (Miami, Florida, USA) in collaboration with the Instituto de Ecología (INECOL; Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico) conducted research to assess the risk posed to Hass avocado (the major variety grown in Mexico) and eight native Mexican laurels. Studies included field tests to determine RAB attraction, lab bioassays to assess boring behavior, and chemical analyses to correlate wood volatiles with RAB attraction. The results indicated that Hass avocado and two native laurels (Persea schiedeana and Ocotea heribertoi vel aff.) are highly attractive to host-seeking RAB, elicit strong boring responses, and emit known attractant chemicals (α-copaene and α-cubebene). This information facilitates development of predictive models for Mexican laurels at risk for RAB attack, and emphasizes the need for effective, early detection systems for this invasive pest in Mexico, particularly in the avocado production areas.

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Why is it important?

This study suggests that redbay ambrosia beetle could become a serious agricultural and forest pest upon incursion into Mexico, with potentially severe economic and ecological impacts.

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This page is a summary of: Risk assessment of Hass avocado and Mexican Lauraceae for attack by redbay ambrosia beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Agricultural and Forest Entomology, January 2023, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1111/afe.12551.
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