May 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

Recap of May 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

In May, we continued our talks about wood-boring insects. This time, we focused on bark beetles. These are small beetles in the insect family called Curculionidae. Some bark beetles help break down dead or dying trees, which is helpful for the environment. But a few types can attack healthy trees and cause serious damage.

In this class, we talked about two groups of bark beetles: Platypodinae and Scolytinae. Some of these beetles are called ambrosia beetles. They don’t eat the wood directly. Instead, they carry a special kind of fungus with them. They dig tunnels inside trees, grow the fungus there, and eat the fungus. But the fungus can also hurt or even kill the tree.

Bark Beetles That Could Be a Problem If They Arrive

There are some invasive bark beetles that are not found in the U.S. yet. If they were to be introduced, they could cause some major problems for Florida.

Oak Ambrosia Beetle (Platypus quercivorus) – This beetle is from Asia. It attacks healthy oak trees and carries a fungus that causes a disease called Japanese oak wilt. If it came to Florida, it could hurt our native oaks.

Sweetgum Inscriber (Acanthotomicus suncei) – This beetle damages sweetgum trees. In China, where the beetle is native, it has killed so many American sweetgums that nurseries stopped growing them. If it gets to the U.S., it could harm sweetgums in forests and cities.

Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer (Euwallacea fornicatus) – These beetles also carry harmful fungi and attack many kinds of trees, including avocado, sycamore, and box elder. These beetles, while native to Southeastern Asia, have been found in California and are a big concern for both farms and forests. If they come to Florida, they could cause serious damage.

Invasive Bark Beetles Already Causing Problems in Florida

Tea Shot Hole Borer (Euwallacea perbrevis) – This beetle is native to Asia. It was first detected in Florida in 2002, and became a more prominent pest in the 2010’s. It attacks trees like avocado, mango, royal poinciana, and more. It carries fungi like Fusarium
sp. and Graphium sp. that can lead to dieback and other issues on these host trees.

Redbay Ambrosia Beetle (Xyleborus glabratus) – Though native to Asia, it was first found in Georgia in 2002 and showed up in Florida in 2005. This beetle spreads a fungus that causes a deadly disease called laurel wilt. Trees that can be affected include redbay, swamp bay, sassafrass, avocado, and camphor tree. This beetle and the fungus have hurt both natural forests and farms, especially avocado growers in Florida.

If you think you’ve spotted any of beetles that have not yet been found in Florida, get a sample to someone who can properly ID it! Early detection is key to protecting our trees.

Resources on Bark Beetles

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What is the upcoming schedule?

We are meeting online via Zoom from 12:00PM-1:00PM on the First Friday of every month from Sept 2022-Aug 2025. Maybe longer too! Please visit this blog for registration information and the upcoming schedule for Sept. 2024-2025.

Questions?

Contact Dr. Morgan Pinkerton, morgan0402@ufl.edu

Visit the Florida First Detector Website