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Article: PEST FROM DOWN UNDER OVERWHELMS VALLEY TREES.(NEWS)
- Article from:
- Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
- Article date:
- July 20, 1999
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 Daily News. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Michael Coit Staff Writer
Two stately eucalyptus trees that shade Joyce Gorstein's apartment building bear the markings of infestation by a tiny Australian insect sucking the life from eucalyptus trees in California.
Leaves are covered with tiny plant lice called psyllids and their nymphs that are coated with cones of sticky white lerp. As leaves wither and drop, trees under stress become more vulnerable to the lethal pests.
The lerp, excreted as protective covering from excess sugar and water, coats the ground and gets tracked indoors by people and pets. It stinks when mixed with water.
Woodland Hills neighborhoods cherished ...