HONOLULU — Inspectors have foraged through thousands of newly arrived Christmas trees in Hawaii to shake out and kill any live wasps, after putting 1,200 trees in quarantine when yellow jackets were found in shipping crates.
At least four of the 100 newly arrived containers of trees from the Pacific Northwest were found to be contaminated with a variety of wasp, and others were still being inspected, according to agricultural officials.
The inspections came as the first retailers began to open up Christmas tree lots around the islands. Most of Hawaii’s trees come from Oregon or Washington state in shipments ending early next month.
Janelle Saneishi, state Agriculture Department spokeswoman, said that even though there are yellow jackets already in the islands, there shouldn’t be any in the containers. There’s also the possibility of a new variety being introduced with the shipments.
“They’ll take those containers to plant quarantine and shake every tree to make sure there are no live wasps in there,” Saneishi said.
Last year, three containers of fresh trees were sent back to the mainland because some pine needles were infested with midges. In 2004, authorities found a garter snake in one crate.
Hawaii agriculture inspectors have visited some mainland farms this season in an effort to check Hawaii shipments of trees at the source.
Kim Canamore, of Canamore Tree Farm in Oregon City, Ore., said inspectors wanted to learn how the trees are harvested and what steps are taken to keep out pests.
Canamore had sent 15 of the containers in the latest shipment which arrived Saturday.
In recent years, the Hawaii Christmas tree market has fluctuated with weather and growing conditions in the Pacific Northwest and the supply and demand in the islands.
In 2005, growers in Oregon were hit because of overplanting, high fuel prices and a labor shortage. About 90 percent of Oregon’s harvest is shipped out of state, including to Hawaii and Japan. Oregon supplies about one-fourth of the 27.5 million trees sold nationwide.
In 2004, Hawaii suffered a shortage of trees, because some vendors had been burned by a surplus in 2003. At least one vendor in 2004 sold out a shipment of trees flown in late in the season. They went for up to $200 each, while some trees in 2003 had gone for $1 each.
This year, Northwest growers are saying Hawaii should be getting some of the best trees in years.
One importer, Richard Tajiri of Christmas Hawaii, said the trees are fuller than in years past.
“They’re meatier and greener,” said Bambi Srauch of Bambi’s Christmas Treeland in Oregon.
The first shipment to Hawaii arrived Saturday, with many of the trees going to stores on other islands. A shipment this coming weekend also will go to the neighbor islands and to larger retailers on Oahu.
The bulk of Hawaii’s trees are to arrive next week, with the final shipment in early December.
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