New Pest Found in Hawaii:
Epiphyas postvittana
Over Mother's Day weekend I was in Hilo Hawaii for my daughters college graduation and I had planned on taking home orchid plants. First I went to Carmela's and was informed ALL shipments of cut flowers, fruit, vegetables, plants, etc. would require a phyto-sanitary certificate and were on hold till USDA cleared each plant. It did not matter that the plants were going to Victor, NY or to Santa Barbara, CA.
I had also planned on visiting the Hilo farmers market to buy stock plants of Onc. Sharry Baby. Again I was informed that the plants would need Hawaii State and Federal USDA inspection before they could be shipped. Previous years I was able to take the plants to the Hawaii State Inspector for inspection and off they would go with my baggage.
The culprit is the Light Brown Apple Moth. Carmela's had 50 orders waiting for inspections and finally got USDA to certify that they did not have the Moth. "Certified Under Federal Domestic Quarantine Order' Light Brown Apple Moth USDA-APHIS-PPQ 4700 River Rd, Riverdale MD.
My plants were shipped the following week and most have been repotted except for the stock plants from another nursery which is not certified by the USDA. If you plan on visiting the Hawaii this summer check on the status of the quarantine before you purchase plants to take home with you as baggage.
- Fran Murphy
GROS Exhibits at Syracuse Show
Many thanks go to Judy Ekberg and Diane Bernard for setting up and taking down our society’s display of blooming plants at the Central New York Orchid Society Show held in Syracuse on September 21-23, 2007. Judy received a second place ribbon for the display. In addition to the usual class ribbons we received, several plants in our club display earned special awards:
- Judy Wischoff received the Margery & Fred Ummer Award for the Best Amateur Grown Cattleya Alliance for her Blc. Ports of Paradise ‘Emerald Isle’ FCC/AOS.
- Robert Wyman received the Margaret Tupper Memorial Award for Best Amateur Grown Phalaenopsis for his plant of Phal. Ember ‘Carmela’ AM/AOS.
- Sandi Uhlig received the Clifford Rossie Memorial Award for Best Amateur Grown Pleurothallid, Masd. Redwing ‘Purple Passion’ AM/AOS.
For individual ribbon awards, please see the October newsletter.