Thrips released in Fort Pierce

[EddieF]

Mad scientists hope to kill off brazil pepper trees in Florida.
For the record, yes pep trees grow fast in all directions, but i've maintained 1 that protects my bananas and property from hurricane winds.  Other pep trees i remove where i plan to grow food.

Fort Pierce area is worlds largest citrus producing land.  I know someone with 1000's of acres of citrus, already battling citrus greening.  Please tell me Thirps will not become the next danger to our crops.  See how well love bugs turned out!
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In Florida, more than two invasive species get established every month, brought in through cargo or by visitors. But researchers are making progress in the battle against one major pest: the Brazilian peppertree.

On a cattle ranch near Fort Pierce, a team from the University of Florida recently released 1,500 tiny insects called thrips, or Pseudophilothrips ichini.

"That is the biological control for the Brazilian pepper," Kate Rotindo said
She's an urban horticulture specialist and was bent over one of the plants, tapping vigorously on a small vial containing some of the bugs.

"They're really small; you can see them kind of crawling around," she said.

The thrips, like the plant, come from Brazil. Working with researchers there, U.S. scientists identified insects that keep Brazilian peppertree in check in its native habitat. On this day, a team from the University of Florida is releasing enough of the insects at the cattle ranch that they'll become established, start reproducing, and help control the invasive weed.

In Florida, Brazilian peppertree was introduced more than a century ago as an ornamental plant, valued for its red berries and dark green foliage. Since then, it has overrun much of the southern part of the state, also parts of California and Texas, covering 700,000 acres.

[pineislander]

They say it is a specific for brazil pepper trees. They did some testing.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/eea.12506

[pineislander]

A few years ago they also released a beetle which eats the air potato Dioscorea bulbifera, which is also an invasive and a vine which produces a tuberous bulbil on the vine itself. The invasive air potato is not edible. However, there is an edible variety which I have tried growing. That plant does grow but the beetle also eats my edible one making the leaves look like they've been shot with a shotgun.

Also, beekeepers have found the Brazil pepper is a very strong nectar producer for honey and have come to rely on it. They are concerned.

[Frog Valley Farm]

I love them for biochar and incorporating them as chop and drop on orchard floor.  Just have to weed seedlings which is easy.  Makes beautiful biomass hedge that birds eat if controlled.

[achetadomestica]

What happens when the thirps become a nuisance?  What are they going to release
to control them?

[shot]

Pests of melaleuca in florida ,psyllid and weevil were introduced and became food for are insects ect.Now they are at very low threshold.

[EddieF]

I still don't like the city playing mother nature.
If the thrips do their job, gonna be lots of falling pep trees everywhere come next hurricane.
Hope thirps don't have survival skills when pep trees are gone & aquire taste for mangos, bananas, grapefruit, oranges...