You might not think that guacamole is threatened by the movement of firewood, but it is!
The Ambrosia beetle has such a nice name, but it is part of a very serious threat to the avocado industry. You see, the Ambrosia beetle spreads Redbay wilt, which is a fungus that can infect and kill avocado, sassafras, and redbay trees.
Redbay wilt started killing Redbay trees way farther north than Florida, but because of the movement of wood products (especially firewood) it has now made it down into Florida. Here's a quote from the recent article in the Miami Herald.
(Ambrosia beetle) was detected in Jacksonville in 2007, and seen in Melbourne last month. Apparently, avocado trees burn very well.
''Man has done that,'' pathologist Randy Ploetz said of the bugs movement. ``People cut down trees for fire wood. It's going to be here on our door step pretty soon.''
Even without the economic damage that will occur to the avocado industry, the Ambrosia beetle and Redbay wilt has created serious economic and ecological issues along the east coast as it kills its namesake tree, Redbay. For more on the Redbay wilt problem, you can visit the article in Terrain.
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