ADVENTUROUS? SLURP A LERP EDIBLE HONEYDEW-LIKE GOO INFESTS AREA'S TREES.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

One man's pest is another man's pastry.

In the latest assault on the eucalyptus tree crippling red gum lerp psyllid, a naturalist insists that making a tasty snack of the insects and their excretions will help.

``Classifying the lerp psyllid as a problem is a matter of perspective,'' said Christopher Nyerges, a Los Angeles resident who has taught natural food and survival classes for more than two decades.

``I view it as another resource,'' he said. ``Obviously, I don't think people are going to eat it to the extent that it will be eradicated, but if I were hungry and homeless, I could scrape up enough of this to have a good little snack in about 15 minutes.''

First spotted in the Los Angeles region in 1998, the lerp has spread rapidly to thousands of eucalyptus trees, damaging and even killing them while excreting a sticky goo that gums up people and cars.

This summer, a batch of Australian, non-stinging wasps was released experimentally to eat the lerps, which originated down under. But that has not been entirely successful.

Visible on the leaves of infested trees is a white, bubbly substance excreted by the lerp and woven into a protective tent under which the pupae, or baby insects, grow.

Nyerges describes the lerp tent as a sticky, waxy, sweet treat that can be licked off the leaf, pupae and all, similar to a honeycomb.

For hundreds of years, he said, Australians have eaten the lerp. Aborigines still commonly use the honey-like substance as a sweetener for cold or hot drinks, he said.

University of California, Berkeley, researcher Donald Dahlsten, who heads the Australian wasp campaign, agreed that lerps are tasty, and he often snacks on them in the field.

``I eat them all the time,'' he said. ``The idea is to get the fresh white ones instead of having to clean off the black dirty ones.''

But he remains hopeful that the wasp remedy will be successful in time without damaging the ecosystem.

``We've had some complications with mating the wasps during these first few weeks and it's too early to see definitive results,'' he said. ``But we plan on releasing more around Southern California in coming weeks, and hope to have clear results soon.''

Marty Friedman, a tree surgeon with the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, said he doubts hungry Angelenos would stem the lerp ravage.

``You might be able to eat that white, gooey stuff,'' he said, ``but we need to do something about the bigger problem of trees at risk.''

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color -- ran in Bulldog edition only) Christopher Nyerges, who has taught about natural foods and wilderness survival, looks at lerp psyllid on the leaves of a eucalyptus tree on his Highland Park property. Unlike many who try to eradicate the pest, he believes the insect casings don't hurt trees unless the infestation is major.

(2) If you have a strong stomach, you can do as Christopher Nyerges and aborigines do, using lerp psyllid for a sweet treat. Unlike many who try to eradicate the pest, he believes the insect casings don't hurt trees unless the infestation is major.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer