The
Plant Health Directorate last week issued a statement to inform the public that
carob trees are falling victim to a beetle known scientifically as Apate monachus and in English as the
black borer.
This
beetle species is native to Africa from where
it has spread to many parts of the world including the Mediterranean region.
It
attacks several specie of plant including grapevine, peach, apple, pear,
avocado and ornamental trees. In the Mediterranean
it has been found feeding mostly on pomegranate and carob trees. The damage is
caused by adult beetles which bore into the living wood to feed. The larvae
live in dead wood and do not cause any damage to living trees.
The
black borer is not a new arrival in the Maltese islands. It was first recorded
in 2004 and has been recorded regularly since then. It is a nocturnal species and
most of the records are of specimens attracted to light in the north of Malta .
This
beetle is one of several beetle species that arrived in Europe and in Malta from other parts of the world. The most notorious
of these are the red palm weevil and the mulberry long-horned beetle both of
which are alien pests which caused considerable damage to trees.
The
carob tree is not indigenous to the Maltese islands. It was probably brought to
the Maltese islands thousands of years ago and has become one of the most
common trees, especially, in agricultural areas.
In the
past it was cultivated for the pods which were fed to livestock especially
horses, sheep pigs and goats.
Carobs
have decreased in importance as they no longer provide fodder. Farmers do not
plant it anymore and many old specimens have been uprooted to give way to roads
and buildings but the disappearance of the carob tree from the Maltese
countryside would change completely the Maltese landscape and the way we think
about nature.
Land
would look more barren especially in summer when carob trees create a patchwork
of green in a land that has been parched dry by lack of rain and scorching
sun.
This article was published in the Times of Malta on 26 February 2015.
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