Help Eradicate the South American Palm Weevil in University Heights
Historically-Designated Canary Island Palms in 4700 block Park Blvd., once the southeast entrance to Mission Cliff Gardens.
Background
The University Heights Historical Society and University Heights Community Association need the community’s help to eradicate the deadly South American Palm Weevil, a destructive pest that is killing Canary Island Palms throughout San Diego including University Heights. Several palms have already been removed in University Heights because of the weevil.
The weevil lays its eggs in the crown of the tree and once hatched, the larvae feast on the palm’s soft tissue, crippling growth and eventually killing the tree. Insecticide treatments can provide insurance against the weevil, typically an application of insecticide to the crown and injection into the soil.
City Promises to Treat Selected Palms on Public Property
The City Forester has promised to preventively treat the historically-designated palms in the 4700 block of Park Blvd. as well as selected palm trees on public property in University Heights.
The University Heights Historical Society has created a map of Canary Island Palms in University Heights to provide as a resource to the City Forester as he develops a treatment plan. We need your help adding Canary Island Palms to the map, especially east of Park Blvd. and in the area around Lincoln Street. Please take photos with your smart phone (so it’s geo-tagged with the address) and email to uhhs@att.net.
Special Price for Treating Palms on Private Property
For palms trees on private property, UH resident and tree advocate, Judy Schroeder, has negotiated a special price for UH residents with Aguilar Plant Care. The company will provide preventive treatment for $100 to $150 per tree (depending on size) plus a trip fee of $225. Download the flyer from Aguilar Plant Care here.
Preventive treatment of Canary Island Palms is recommended three times per year to prevent weevil infestation, and is much more cost-effective than removing a mature Canary Date Palm which can cost anywhere from $1,800-$10,000.
Neighbors with trees on their private property are encouraged to coordinate treatment to share the cost of the trip fee. Please contact Aguilar Plant Care at (760) 294-2727 or info@apcphc.com to schedule treatment. You may also complete the form at the bottom of this post which will be emailed directly to Aguilar Plant Care, who will coordinate treatment with surrounding neighbors to minimize the trip fee.
Help Save Our Palms
In order to eradicate this pest and save our iconic Canary Island Palms, we need everyone’s help:
If you have Canary Island Palms on your private property, please have them preventively treated them three times per year by a certified arborist. If there are dead or dying palms on your property, please have them removed.
If you see dead or dying Canary Island Palms on public property, please report them via the City’s Get It Done website at www.sandiego.gov/get-it-done.