Sister Isles meetings focus on destructive pests
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from June 1996.
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Department of Agriculture officials will hold their first meeting at the District Administration Building in Cayman Brac at 7:00 pm on Monday, 24 June. Agronomist Adrian Estwick and Extension Officer Brian Crichlow will present a film and slide show, outlining how the public can recognise the pests and diseases they spread. They will distribute leaflets and posters and discuss what steps can be taken to stop infestations.
From Cayman Brac, Mr. Estwick and Mr. Critchlow will visit Little Cayman where they will spend Wednesday, 26 June, meeting officials and residents as part of their information campaign. The Pink Mealey Bug has not yet been seen on the Islands but the Brown Citrus Aphid was detected earlier this year in Grand Cayman.
The visit to the Sister Islands is part of the prevention, monitoring and public awareness programme that was launched on Grand Cayman earlier this year. It highlights the dangers of the Pink Mealy Bug which has an ability to feed on a wide range of plants.
It can attack some 125 different species and is very hard to detect in its immature state. The bug poisons plants, causing leaves to crinkle, which stunts their growth and leads to their eventual death.
The Brown Citrus Aphid spreads the Citrus Tristexa Virus (CTV) which causes the decline and in some cases death of citrus trees. It, too, is a virulent pest and the Department of Agriculture has recently banned the import of all citrus propagation materials to prevent its spread in the Islands. (GIS)
