HRI’s webinar focuses on Ambrosia Beetle management
The Horticultural Research Institute’s (HRI) October tHRIve webinar will focus on Ambrosia Beetle management. Research shows that there are effective production strategies to protect trees from these wood-boring pests. HRI will host a webinar, Wood-Boring Ambrosia Beetles: Management Tactics to Reduce the Risk of an Infestation, to share insights and strategies for managing these destructive wood-boring pests.
Growers are concerned about the devastating impact of the exotic ambrosia beetles Xylosandrus crassiusculus and Xylosandrus germanus on trees in ornamental nurseries and tree fruit orchards.
DETAILS
- Date: October 4, 2023
- Time: 1-2 p.m. Eastern
- Registration: open online
Ambrosia beetles
Ambrosia beetles pose a significant threat to trees in ornamental nurseries and fruit orchards. These beetles tunnel into the heartwood of trees, where they cultivate and consume their fungal symbiont. Infestations can have detrimental effects on tree health and productivity, leading to symptoms such as sawdust noodles, sap production, wilting, and branch dieback. Thin-barked deciduous trees are particularly susceptible, and the beetles often target trees in the early stages of stress.
Dr. Christopher Ranger, research entomologist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, will lead the webinar and share his expertise and in-depth knowledge of ambrosia beetle biology and management strategies.
Webinar topics
The webinar will cover a range of topics essential for combating ambrosia beetle infestations, including:
Host Selection and Stress Factors
Learn how beetles preferentially target trees in the early stages of stress, and discover the key stressors that make trees vulnerable to infestations, including flooding, inadequate drainage, and low temperatures.
Monitoring and Trapping
Explore the effectiveness of ethanol-baited traps for monitoring the flight activity of Xylosandrus species ambrosia beetles, aiding in early detection and intervention.
Insecticide Strategies
Understand the limitations of conventional insecticides in protecting vulnerable trees and explore alternative methods to reduce the risk of infestations.
Optimizing Tree Health
Discover the most effective and sustainable tactics for reducing the risk of ambrosia beetle infestations by optimizing the health of your trees.
This informative webinar will equip growers with the knowledge and tools needed to safeguard trees and mitigate the risk of infestation. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, enhance their pest management skills, and gain valuable insights into protecting their trees effectively.
Connecting the industry to practical, actionable, and research-backed advice is at the heart of HRI’s mission. Hosting tHRIve webinars is just one way HRI tackles that goal.
Register for the no-cost tHRIve webinar online.
Horticultural Research Institute
The Horticultural Research Institute (HRI), founded in 1962, has provided more than $9.5 million in grants to research projects covering a broad range of production, environmental and business issues important to the green industry and to student scholarships. Outreach is central to HRI’s mission. Since 2021, HRI has hosted more than 5,000 attendees at in-person and live educational events. Over $19 million is committed to the endowment by individuals, corporations, and associations. For more information about HRI, its grant-funded research or programming, visit hriresearch.org.
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