Looking inside a foaming canker
29 October 2016
After taking video of the foam coming from a beetle entry hole, the next step was to open it up and see what was producing the foam. Below are photos and a video. The video takes us from the surface to the beetle gallery. Note the white gel-like substance. That is probably the source of the gas in the bubbles. No beetle was found, but we may have touched a beetle elytra.
Please share your ideas on this.
Some foam still being produced at the western oak bark beetle entry hole.
After wiping away the foam, the hole is visible. The foam was very slow to come back, compared to what we saw in the earlier videos.
The beetle entry hole from farther away.
After one ‘layer’ sliced away, we can still see foam coming out of the hole.
The overall look of the beetle gallery, where the foam is coming from.
Another layer sliced away takes us to the beetle’s chamber. Note the white gel-like material.
A close-up of the beetle chamber with the white gel-like material.
A close-up of the beetle chamber with the white gel-like material.
This is a picture of the back side, or underside, of the second slice, showing that white gel is there also.
Retrieval of a western oak bark beetle from a live oak canker
29 October 2016.
We found a western oak bark beetle, Pseudopityophthorus pubipennis, in one of the cankers of the Cooper2 live oak branch. Cooper2 is an interior live oak infested with foamy bark canker. The beetle was small, about one and a half millimeters long. Sample collected 29 October 2016, by Paul Cooper.
The branch that has the beetle, to show the size of the branch.
The red arrow points to the beetle. It is at the top of the ‘T”.
Here is the beetle gallery, with the beetle removed.
The beetle removed from the canker is about one and a half millimeters long.
Foamy bark canker actively foaming
29 October 2016.
Paul Cooper collected the branch on Cooper2, as seen at this page. The image of the branch is below, and the red circle indicates the area that the following video and photos were taken from. We were able to video, and photograph, the holes emitting foam.
The diameters of the holes are about 0.25-.33 millimeters. Each foamy spot is associated with one of these tiny beetle entry holes.
Live oak branch, from the foamy bark canker infested tree, “Cooper2”.
Paul Cooper collecting the foamy bark canker infected branch. Photo by Margie Cooper, 29 October 2016.
Foam coming from beetle entry hole. Specimen collected by Paul Cooper, 29 October 2016.
Foam coming from beetle entry hole. Specimen collected by Paul Cooper, 29 October 2016.
Foam coming from beetle entry hole. Specimen collected by Paul Cooper, 29 October 2016.
Foam coming from beetle entry hole. Specimen collected by Paul Cooper, 29 October 2016. The six dots of light are reflections of the LEDs on the digital camera.
Edward’s Glassywing
Noah Werner collected this Edward’s Glassywing from our pest control yard in Sonora California, 25 October 2016. Thanks to Dr. Lynn Kimsey for the identification!
Edward’s Glassywing. Hemihyalea edwardsii
Edward’s Glassywing. Hemihyalea edwardsii
Edward’s Glassywing. Hemihyalea edwardsii
Edward’s Glassywing. Hemihyalea edwardsii
Paul Cooper Finds Another Foamy Bark Canker Infested Live Oak. 25 October 2016
25 October 2016. Paul Cooper reports that he found another foamy bark canker infested live oak, in Greenhorn Creek, across the street from the Cooper1/golf course tree. This interior live oak tree does not appear to have cankers down at the base, but shows foamy attacks higher up, in the newer, and thinner, bark.
The tree is declining rapidly. This is more striking, being that Scott Oneto, Paul Cooper, Allan Ramorini and two of his lead men, and I, were at the “Cooper1 tree” about a month ago, and none of us noticed any decline in this second tree, that is just across the street. The fading of Cooper1 was obvious, but none of saw it. Now, it is readily apparent that this tree is fading fast, and that this fading took only about one month.
To support this claim, we again took the July 2012 Google Street View image, and the 2 April 2015 Bing Street View image, and placed them here to compare the tree over time. Again, the tree shows no decline in the previous years. To see this tree, as well as Cooper1 (across the street), use this link.
“Cooper1”, on left was the “Golf Course” tree that was sampled for foamy bark canker in September. Now, we have “Cooper2”, dying, across the street from Cooper1. This decline appears to have occurred within a month.
Foamy cankers are apparent higher up, on thinner barked branches, but not found on the lower trunk. 25 October 2016. Photo by Paul Cooper.
Foamy cankers are apparent higher up, on thinner barked branches, but not found on the lower trunk. 25 October 2016. Photo by Paul Cooper.
Cooper2 shows a general overall decline, and it is happening very quickly. 25 October 2016. Photo by Paul Cooper.
Cooper2 shows a general overall decline, and it is happening very quickly. Cooper1 is on the left side of the road. 25 October 2016. Photo by Paul Cooper.
Cooper2, 25 October 2016. Photo by Paul Cooper.
Cooper2 live oak, in the July 2012 Google Street View.
Cooper2 live oak, in the April 2015 Bing Street View. The arrow points to Cooper2.
Protected: En Masse Flight Path?
How Quickly Did Foamy Bark Canker Damage the Live Oak?
Lab analysis has confirmed that the live oak near the golf course is a victim of foamy bark canker. I found some older images of this same tree using Google and Bing Street Views. The Bing photo is the most recent, dating from 2 April 2015, and was taken when the sun was behind the tree, putting the bole in shade, making resolution difficult. But the tree is clearly in excellent shape. It appears to have grown well since the 2012 Google image was taken.
In September 2016, the oak was half dead. That means that in less than 18 months, the tree went from healthy and vigorous, to severely infected and dying.
The dying live oak, 24 October 2016. Photo by Paul Cooper.
The dying oak, 28 September 2016. Photo by Scott Oneto.
The golf course live oak on 2 April 2015. Bing Street View.
The live oak in July 2012. Google Street View.
Union Democrat article on Foamy Bark Canker
Friday, October 21, 2016
New oak disease spreads from coast to foothills
By Alex MacLean, The Union Democrat
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/localnews/4754549-151/new-oak-disease-spreads-from-coast-to-foothills
Calaveras Enterprise article on Foamy Bark Canker 20 October 2016
By Charity Maness, Calaveras Enterprise
Deadly oak tree disease confirmed in Angels Camp
http://www.calaverasenterprise.com/news/article_66548b28-971c-11e6-a13f-cb1182aee916.html
deadly-oak-tree-disease-confirmed-calaverasenterprise
Deadly oak tree disease confirmed in Angels Camp
Foamy bark canker found in Greenhorn Creek neighborhood
A beetle-transmitted fungus that has been killing oaks in coastal areas of California for several years now appears to have moved inland and was recently confirmed in oaks in Calaveras County.
Foothill Sierra Pest Control announced that on Oct. 18, University of California Farm Adviser Scott Oneto reported that samples Oneto took on Sept. 22 from infected trees in the Greenhorn Creek neighborhood were confirmed as foamy bark canker transmitted by western oak bark beetles.
Foothill Sierra owner Jim Tassano said that Oneto’s test confirmed an initial diagnosis made by Greta Shutler of the Tuolumne County Agricultural Department.
“We don’t know the source of the infestation,” said Foothill Sierra owner Jim Tassano, who is a biologist. “We are still researching.”
The disease, predominantly found in coast live oaks, was discovered in 2012 in El Dorado County infecting interior live oaks. The disease had not previously been discovered in Calaveras County.
The western oak bark beetle is a small beetle that burrows through bark, excavating shallow tunnels under the bark. The female beetles lay eggs in the tunnels and the developing larvae tunnel close to the surface.
The beetles often attack trees weakened by drought, disease, injuries and other stressors. But tree professionals say the beetle can also burrow in freshly cut oak firewood.
When the infection is at an advanced stage, the oak trees die.
“Thousands of trees have died from this. The trees will show a lot of decline and can get weaker and weaker,” said Tassano. “The disease robs it of its vigor and ultimately kills it.”
What causes the actual infection is the fungus the beetle carries, a species known as Geosmithia pallida.
Symptoms on the trunk and primary branches include discoloration and seepage from entry holes. A reddish sap may also be seen seeping from the entry holes followed by a prolific foamy liquid which can create a foamy trail up to two feet long down the trunk.
Currently, Foothill Sierra is treating the infected trees with an injected insecticide and fungicide. “We are trying to exterminate the disease,” said Tassano. “The objective is to stop it before it gets further.”
Tassano said he knows of no published research on the treatment of foamy bark canker. He hopes to develop treatment that could also be used in other areas affected by the disease.
Tassano will be reaching out to the residents of Greenhorn Creek with information as he has it as well as to report on the success or failure of his treatment plan.
Vertebrate Droppings Under a House
This came from an enclosed subfloor in a house in Copperopolis. The animal has been eating a lot of beetles. Specimen collected by Ryder Richards, 10 October 2016.
