Is this possible?

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Lala_Jane North West, OH(Zone 5b) Mar 13, 2008

I'm not sure if I'm posting this question in the right forum, but I really wasn't sure whom to ask. Last November while vacationing in Tucson I brought home a handful of seeds from what I belive was a palo verde tree. Last night I nicked them, put them in a damp paper towel, and placed them in a warm spot to see if they would germinate. When I opened the baggie tonight there was a live bug inside the towel along side the seeds. It was a fairly large bug about the size of an ant (but with wings?) so I don't know how I could have possible missed it being there when I closed up the baggie last night. The seeds sprouted HUGELY in just one day and I'm wondering if there's any way possible that bug, or the larva (I'm such a non-bug person....my apologies for not using the correct terminology) could have been dormant inside one of those seeds all this time. Reflex made me squish the bug instantly so I'm afraid I can't offer much in the way of a description.

In re-reading the above paragraph my question seems quite absurd and I'm almost embarrassed to hit the send button. But I am so sure he wasn't there last night! And my curiosity is great enough that I will go ahead and let you laugh or roll your eyes....whichever direction you choose to go. :-P

Post #4657083
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Mar 13, 2008

Not absurd at all. No one will laugh.

This is exactly why there are strict laws -trying- to govern movement of plants/soil/seeds and etc.

A type of aphid made it to the Caribbean from someplace, and destroyed the hibiscus flowers, the big, showy, red "Hawaiian" flower. So sad. The horticultural folks finally decided to risk importing a sort of tiny wasp that preys on this aphid in the country where it came from, on the other side of the world, I don't remember where, but the aphid, or its' eggs, had to have come on an airplane in someone's pocket, on a bit of plant material.

The importing of a preditor to control a pest can backfire.

OK, hope your trees grow with no fungus or other problems!

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Mar 13, 2008

It could be but it's hard to say without knowing what type of insect it was. My guess is it wasn't actually inside the seeds, but maybe the tree that you got it off of had some eggs or something on it which were too small for you to notice at the time and got mixed in with the seeds. Or it was something that was flying around your house and happened to land on your paper towels just as you were grabbing one to wrap the seeds in, maybe it was on the other side of the towel and you didn't notice it at the time.

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