County to begin weevil eradication in Solana Beach

By: ADAM KAYE - Staff Writer | Friday, July 13, 2007 9:57 PM PDT ∞

SOLANA BEACH ---- The destructive diaprepes root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus, has appeared in still another North County neighborhood, and authorities said Friday residents must prepare for pesticide spraying in their yards starting later this month.

After finding the insects in June, state agricultural officials drew quarantine lines that hem in the northeast quadrant of Solana Beach, east of Interstate 5 and north of Lomas Santa Fe Drive.

Within that area, technicians are expected to perform ground spraying at 63 properties within 200 meters of the find. Aerial spraying is not scheduled.

The quarantine area is one of seven in the county established to contain a pest that threatens the county's $1 billion nursery industry, officials say.

Residential landscaping and agriculture are equally vulnerable.

Other quarantines cover portions of Oceanside, University City, Del Mar, Carlsbad, Encinitas and Fairbanks Ranch. Treatments began in those communities last fall and are continuing.

The pest feeds on more than 270 plant species and is known to have spread as far north as Long Beach.

The state has spent $6.5 million to contain it, said Steve Lyle of the Department of Food and Agriculture.

"It's a challenge we're embracing and fighting, and it does pose a significant threat," Lyle said.

To inform residents about the weevil and planned eradication campaign, county and state officials are hosting a meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Solana Beach Library, 157 Stevens Ave.

Wiping out the pest could take years, said Dawn Nielsen, a county spokeswoman. That's because the insect's larvae live in the ground.

Technicians spray the ground, shrubs and trees of affected areas as many as six times every two weeks, she said.

Spraying in Solana Beach will continue through November and will resume in March 2008.

Officials will post notices on any property that is scheduled for spraying. The notices include the date of scheduled treatments and inform homeowners they do not need to be present.

They should, however, unlock gates, secure pets, remove any laundry on clotheslines, close doors and windows, move items away from trees and shrubs, avoid sprayed areas for 12 hours and harvest no fruits or vegetables from the yard for 30 days.

Root weevils are especially destructive because adults feed on leaves while their larvae consume the plants' roots.

Adult root weevils grow up to 1 inch long. Their backs bear black and orange or cream-colored markings.

Officials say they don't know how the diaprepes root weevil arrived in California.

Root weevils are native to the Caribbean and are blamed for widespread infestations in Florida and parts of Texas. Their movements are minimal once they find a food source. That's why authorities hope to contain the pest within quarantine areas, where the movement and transportation of all plants, soil, sand, gravel and clippings is restricted.

Authorities are asking the public to call the California Department of Food and Agriculture's pest hotline at (800) 491-1899 before moving any of those items.

The same number offers information about the root weevil and Tuesday's meeting.

Contact staff writer Adam Kaye at (760) 901-4074 or akaye@nctimes.com.

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