FLORIDA WEST COAST BROMELIAD SOCIETY Celebrating over 62 Years in Bromeliads

Transcription

1 FLORIDA WEST COAST BROMELIAD SOCIETY Celebrating ver 62 Years in Brmeliads flridabrmeliads.rg December 2016 Newsletter NEXT MEETING Date & Time: Tuesday, December 6, 2016 Drs pen at 7 pm; meeting starts at 7:30 Lcatin: Gd Samaritan Church 6085 Park Bulevard Pinellas Park, Flrida Hliday Party As usual, the night f ur regularly scheduled December meeting is turned ver t ur annual Hliday Party. There will be n business meeting, n speaker, n general raffle table, and n friendship plant table. What it will be is a lt fun with great fd, the cmpany f ther brmeliad lvers, plant giveaways, a plant swap and a special raffle. Our members are nted fr the fd they prvide fr ur parties and we lk frward t seeing all and eating the culinary delights, frm appetizers t desserts, yu will prvide this year. Prgram LAST MEETING HIGHLIGHTS In his presentatin titled The Zika Virus and Brmeliads, Rick Hunter, Ph.D., gave us his perspective as a health prfessinal n the Zika virus that has been much discussed and reprted in the media since last spring. The infrmatin presented abut the Zika virus is available n the Centers fr Disease Cntrl and Preventins website at Dr. Hunter als discussed the relatinship amng brmeliads, msquites, and Zika, alng with measures brmeliad grwers and ther gardeners can take t reduce the likelihd f becming infected by the virus. [Editr s Nte: The summary belw f the speaker s presentatin was based n a recrding Nicle Matwijczyk made f the talk and n cpies f the slides that the speaker generusly prvided. Infrmatin regarding the types f msquites that breed in Flrida brmeliads is frm studies cnducted by Dr. Hward Frank, Prfessr Emeritus (Entmlgy) f the University f Flrida,]

2 Zika Virus Basics Zika is a viral illness that has been knwn fr 70 years. Until 2007 very few cases f the virus were reprted in humans. Zika is transmitted via msquit bites, sexual activity (typically frm man t wman), bld transfusins (nw screened by testing), and rgan tissue transplants (als screened by testing). Abut 2015 Zika shwed up in Suth America and is nw in the US, mst likely transmitted by turists frm infected areas. Zika is little threat t adults and is believed t be an uncmplicated infectin with selflimited symptms that d nt have lng-lasting cmplicatins. Eighty percent f peple wh cntract Zika have n symptms and the remaining 20% have nly mild, flu-like symptms that can last up t a week. Zika is a serius health threat the fetus f a pregnant wman and t wmen seeking t becme pregnant. Zika infectin during pregnancy can cause a fetus t have a birth defect f the brain called micrcephaly and ther prblems, such as defects f the eye, learning deficits, and impaired grwth. Once infected, a persn is likely prtected frm future infectins. It is believed that the Zika virus can remain in the bdy fr up t six mnths. There is n specific medicine t treat Zika; treatment is similar t that fr a flu virus. There is currently n vaccine t prevent Zika but prgress with develping ne is prmising. Msquites and Zika The msquit life cycle is in fur stages: adult, egg (lai d in standing water), larva (hatches frm the egg), and pupa (grws in the water and emerges frm the water as an adult). Mature msquites have a life span f abut tw weeks, depending n envirnmental cnditins. Tw species f nn-native msquites fund in Flrida, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albpictus, can transmit Zika and ther diseases such as dengue, West Nile virus and chikungunya. A. albpictus are nt as efficient in spreading Zika as A. aegypti. Msquites and Brmeliads Msquites need standing water t reprduce, such as the water held by many plants, including mst, but nt all, brmeliads. Brmeliads prvide n mre msquit habitat than the numerus cntainers fund in hme garden settings and are nt inherently a prblem. Results f research cnducted by Dr. Hward Frank cncluded that abut 99% f the ppulatin f msquites in brmeliads is limited t tw species in the genus Wyemyia. These msquites are native t Flrida and d nt transmit diseases. Less 2

3 than half f the remaining 1% cnsists f A. aegypti and A. albpictus that d transmit human disease. Wyemyia prefer very small amunts f clean, clear water, such as that fund in brmeliads, fly nly abut 20 feet frm the hst brmeliad, and tend t utcmpete and starve ut A. aegypti and A. albpictus. While the Aedes species might breed in brmeliads, they are nt their favrite habitat. They mre cmmnly breed in ther types f water cntainers and in dark water laden with rganic debris. Cntrlling Msquites Eliminating standing water in yards and landscapes will reduce lcal msquit ppulatins. Keeping grass trimmed and vegetatin cut back will reduce places where adult msquites hide during the heat f the day. Suggestins fr cntrlling msquites in brmeliads: Once a week empty the water ut f brmeliads r flush ut and refresh the existing water using a garden hse. Keep brmeliads free f grass cuttings and ther rganic debris. Sprinkle water in brmeliads with a prduct that cntains the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis israelensi (Bti). It is txic nly t msquit larvae and harmless t ther living things. When the larvae hatch they will eat the Bti and die. BTi is sld under the brand name Msquit Bits in tw frms: Msquit Dunks and Msquit Bits. Dunks are useful in pen bdies f water such as vacant pls and can be brken up t treat smaller surface areas. They have a time-release feature and last apprximately 30 days in the water. Bits are useful fr smaller, hard t reach lcatins such as brmeliads and tree hles. They als have a time-release frmula but last nly apprximately 7-14 days and need t be applied mre ften but ffer quick results. Sme suggest adding a drp f vegetable il, lemn il, r sap t the water surface in brmeliads t break the water surface tensin s larvae cannt breathe at the water surface. Others suggest adding a pesticide t the water in the brmeliads. These methds are nt as desirable because they can damage brmeliad leaves. Whatever steps are taken t rid brmeliads f msquites, be aware that thse methds will als be killing the friendly Wyemyia msquites that utcmpete the Aedes. ****************************************************************************************************** 3

4 Dr. Hunter s talk was a timely tpic, in cnsideratin f the swirl f lcal media cverage abut the Zika virus taking place this year. The reprting n ccasin brdered n hysteria and included errneus statements t the effect that brmeliads can be the primary breeding haven fr msquites that transmit the virus. This led t significant impact n the reputatin f brmeliads making them less that desirable in the eyes f many including the City f Miami Beach. That city s mayr rdered all brmeliads lcated n city prperties, including the city btanical gardens, remved fr dispsal. A number f hmewners in suthern and central Flrida fllwed suit and remved all brmeliads frm their yards. In that same time perid, many Flrida grwers reprted a reductin in sales f their brmeliads. Sme brmeliads grwers selling at lcal plant sale events reprted hearing peple passing by their bth t say thse [brmeliads] are the Zika virus plants. What has been missing frm the public discussin is science-based infrmatin regarding the eclgy f msquites in brmeliads that tells us nly sme msquites breed in brmeliads and very few transmit human diseases. Dennis Cathcart f Trpiflra Nursery, in cllabratin with Dr. Hward Frank, prepared and printed a flyer that summarizes results f Dr. Frank s research and the rle brmeliads play r rather d nt play in transmissin f the Zika virus. A cpy f that flyer is attached t this newsletter Officers and Trustee Electin At the Nvember meeting members apprved the fllwing slate f fficers fr ur 2017 Bard f Directrs: President Dick Dailey Vice President Brian Crey Secretary Nancy Dailey Treasurer Gary Lund Trustee (three-year term) Judy Lund (3-year term, 2017 thrugh 2019) SHOW AND TELL Reprted by Jhn Edwards Jhn Edwards Nidularium billbergiides, pssibly Franne Matwijczyk Susan Susa Aechmea Friederike cv f Fascini Neregelia cmpacta Aechmea victriana var. disclr Aechmea Ryal Wine ; (miniata v. disclr X victriana v. disclr) THIS AND THAT FWC Brmeliad Scial Dick and Nancy Dailey hsted a Flrida West Cast Brmeliad Scial at their weekend hme in Hmsassa n Saturday, Nvember 19, and it was a lvely event. An article abut it will be included in next mnth s newsletter (January 2017). 4

5 BLOOMING THIS MONTH Gary Lund submitted these pictures f tw f his brmeliads in blm in his garden. Aechmea kuntzeana Full inflrescence; n flwers yet Six weeks later, terminal flwers pen Aechmea mexicana 5

6 COMING EVENTS, December 3-4, 2016, Calsahatchee Brmeliad Sciety Sale Terry Park, 3451 Marin Street, Frt Myers March 11-12, 2017, Leu Gardens Spring Plant Sale Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orland, FL ( March 25-26, 2017, GreenFest Plant Sale University f Tampa, Tampa, FL (friendsfplantpark.cm/greenfest) April 22 and 23, 2017, Green Thumb Festival Walter Fuller Park, St. Petersburg, FL (stpeteparksrec.rg/greenthumb) August 4-6, 2017, Brmeliad Extravaganza Sheratn Tampa East Htel, Tampa, FL; Hsted by the Brmeliad Guild f Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL (brmeliadsciety@jun.cm) President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Immediate-Past President Newsletter Editr Trustees (3) 2016 FWCBS BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ashley Graham, adglaw@gmail.cm Larry Susa, lawrencesusa@yah.cm Jhn Edwards, JOHNRN56@al.cm Gary Lund, garybrm@yah.cm Susan Susa, susansusa1@yah.cm Linda Sheetz, lsheetz@tampabay.rr.cm Je Ventimiglia ( ), ventimij@gmail.cm Barbara Stayer ( ), bnice@tampabay.rr.cm Sal Vactr ( ), salbiah93hafiz@gmail.cm Website: FWCBS.rg Webmaster: Jhn Edwards, JOHNRN56@al.cm 6

7

8