The Gold Spotted Oak Borer

For this week's show, Alien Invasion, Molly traveled to the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County to cover the story of the Gold Spotted Oak Borer, a beetle invading swaths of Live Oak forest. There she met U.C. Riverside biological control specialist – and entomologist – Mark Hoddle and graduate student Vanessa Lopez, who are trying to stop the invasion.

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Alien Invasion

They’re heeeere! Yes, aliens are wreaking havoc and destruction throughout the land. But these aliens are Arizona beetles, and the land is in California, where the invasive insects are a serious problem.

And what of space-faring aliens? We have those too: how to find them, and how to protect our planet – and theirs.

From Hollywood to SETI’s hi-tech search for extraterrestrials, aliens are invading Are We Alone?

Listen to individual segments here:
Part 1 - The Gold Spotted Oak Borer part 1
Part 2 - Paul Davies
Part 3 - Frank Drake
Part 4 - The Gold Spotted Oak Borer part 2
Part 5 - Andy Ihnatko
Part 6 - Margaret Race and Margaret McLean
Part 7 - The Gold Spotted Oak Borer part 3

Are We Alone - Alien Invasion: Gold Spotted Oak Borer part 3

Part 7 of Alien Invasion, featuring Mark Hoddle, Biological Control Specialist at the University of California, Riverside and Vanessa Lopez, graduate student in entomology, University of California, Riverside in the search for a tree destroying insect invading the Cleveland National Forest in California.

Are We Alone - Alien Invasion: Gold Spotted Oak Borer part 2

Part 4 of Alien Invasion, featuring Mark Hoddle, Biological Control Specialist at the University of California, Riverside and Vanessa Lopez, graduate student in entomology, University of California, Riverside in the search for a tree destroying insect invading the Cleveland National Forest in California.

Are We Alone - Alien Invasion: Gold Spotted Oak Borer part 1

Part 1 of Alien Invasion, featuring Mark Hoddle, Biological Control Specialist at the University of California, Riverside and Vanessa Lopez, graduate student in entomology, University of California, Riverside in the search for a tree destroying insect invading the Cleveland National Forest in California.