2023-05-03 10:42:16
The pest was first detected in Switzerland.
Cottony brood sacs of Takahashia japonica.
Takahashia japonica discovered in Ticino
These branches in Brissago TI need cutting: they are infested with Takahashia japonica.
The pest was first detected in Switzerland.
Cottony brood sacs of Takahashia japonica.
A harmful scale insect from Japan that endangers plants and forests has been discovered in Brigasso. How do you recognize Takahashia japonica in your garden – and what can you do about it?
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Takahashia japonica was first discovered in Brissago TI.
- The scale insect can kill plants and trees.
- The insect is easily recognized by its cotton-like, tubular brood sacs, which form white rings 4 to 5 centimeters long.
- Anyone who finds the pest should not fight it themselves, but inform the plant protection service.
It was the gardener Roberto Gambetta from Brissago who noticed the unusual presence and described the RSI situation as follows: «After seeing it, I looked it up and realized that it was the invasive insect Takahashia japonica. That’s why I immediately informed the cantonal plant protection service and the municipality of Brissago.”
In fact, the small insect was first found in Switzerland in the municipality on the border with Italy, on Lake Maggiore, as Cristina Marazzi, head of the Ticino plant protection service, confirms: “In Ticino and Switzerland we have never heard of it . The Federal Office for the Environment has put it on the special watch list, it is not a quarantine pest.”
Takahashia japonica is harmless to humans but very harmful to certain ornamental plants, particularly mulberry trees, maples and hornbeams. It feeds on plant sap and leads to dehydration of the plant. Four mulberry trees are affected in Brissago.
“There are hornbeam plants in our forests,” explains Marazzi. “If there was an attack in a forest, it could be problematic. That’s why we have to keep a close eye on them.”
What did the canton decide?
The first measures decided by the canton are biological treatment and monitoring of the area. To date, the municipality of Brissago has not discovered any other infested trees.
On Wednesday, gardener Gambetta will “prune the most affected parts and then treat with a fatty oil to curb the disease,” he explains to RSI.
He goes on to say: “The vegetable waste is packed in special bags and then disposed of in the waste incinerator because it does not belong to the other vegetable waste.”
Where does it come from and how long has it been in Europe?
Takahashia japonica is native to Asia and was first discovered on mulberry trees in Japan. Since then it has spread to China, South Korea and India.
In Europe, it was first spotted in a city park in Cerro Maggiore, in the province of Milan, in 2017, as quoted by RSI Lombardy Region website writes. It can also be found in other municipalities near Milan, Varese and Monza Brianza.
According to previous observations in Lombardy, the Takahashia japonica forms one generation per year: the ovisacs are produced by the females at the end of April and beginning of May. At the end of the month, the larvae hatch from the eggs and then move towards the leaves. They feed on the saps and stay until October when they return to the branches to overwinter.
How to recognize Takahashia japonica and what to do?
The insect is easily identified by its distinctive cotton-like, tubular brood sacs, which form white rings 4 to 5 centimeters long, as per the Regione Lombardia website.
The brood sacs, which are made of waxy substances and contain thousands of orange-colored eggs about 0.5 millimeters in size, usually hang at different heights on the young branches of the plant. However, they can also be found on the side shoots of the trunk or near cuts.
If you come across Takahashia japonica in your garden, the Ticino canton authorities recommend that you do not intervene directly with plant protection products, but that you immediately notify the plant protection service, whose address you can find on the Website of the Kantons find.
1683116030
#Brissago #Islands #affected #Invasive #pest #Japan #discovered #Ticino