California entomologists and crop advisors are trying to find out more about a flatheaded borer that has been attacking California pears directly at the fruit in Lake County. (Courtesy Clebson G. Gonçalves/University of California Cooperative Extension)
California entomologists and crop advisors are trying to find out more about a flatheaded borer that has been attacking California pears directly at the fruit in Lake County. (Courtesy Clebson G. Gonçalves/University of California Cooperative Extension)

Turns out, folks from beyond the Lake County borders want to know about a potential new California pear pest.

University of California Cooperative Extension has scheduled another meeting, this one virtual, to discuss the emergence of the flatheaded borer causing damage to fruit in Lake County pear orchards. The meeting will be from 8–9 a.m. on Nov. 2.

Clebson G. Gonçalves, a UCCE advisor, held an in-person grower meeting Oct. 17, but people from outside the county have also asked for more information. Scientists are unsure if the flatheaded borer attacking fruit directly this year is the same species as the Pacific flatheaded borer, known typically to cause damage in wood.

“This pest has generated a lot of curiosity among entomologists,” Gonçalves said.

To register for and attend the virtual meeting Nov. 2 at 8 a.m. Pacific Time, go to: https://surveys.ucanr.edu/survey.cfm?surveynumber=41647.

—by Ross Courtney