goldspotted oak borer

CAL FIRE removes infected Idyllwild oak

CAL FIRE crews removed a 140-year-old California black oak (quercus kelloggii), the first local casualty of the Goldspotted Oak Borer that has killed over 80,000 trees in San Diego County. The removal process, which closed Highway 243 in both directions just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, took about 45 minutes. GSOB targets California…

GSOB found in Idyllwild. Pest has killed 80,000 oaks in San Diego County

GSOB found in Idyllwild. Pest has killed 80,000 oaks in San Diego County

The Goldspotted oak borer, the non-native beetle that has killed more than 80,000 oaks in San Diego County, has been positively identified in an Idyllwild oak, on Highway 243 near the center of town. Currently, entomologists know of no native California predator or insecticidal defense against the tree killer. A DNA analysis, conducted by the…