Listen intently with your ear to the bark of a palm tree and you may pick up the sound of chewing. Larvae of the red palm weevil have been munching their way across borders without a passport.
This miniature rhinocerous of a beetle has eaten its way westward out of Asia, reaching Saudi Arabia in 1985. The pest showed up in date groves in 1992 after palm offshoots were imported into Egypt from Saudi Arabia. Four years later a Canary Island palm in a garden in Spain was found to be infested.
The blame was laid on importation of ornamental palms to satisfy demand in resort towns in Southern Europe. When Spain banned imported palms from places where the pest was recorded it entered the country through other European ports.
A European Community decision to adopt emergency measures for infestations has been in effect for a year. A member state may temporarily take any necessary measures, including the use of chemicals, to protect itself from this harmful organism.
Intensive dousing of infested palm trees with chemicals, including Carbyryl, was applied in the cooler months, outside the Spanish tourist season, with varying degrees of success. This insecticide is listed by the US Environment Protection Agency as a likely cause of cancer in humans. It is on a list of chemicals to be phased out in Europe by the end of this year.
The Plant Health Department within the Environment Ministry has been holding a series of seminars on how to control plant pests and diseases while reducing pesticide use.
Stronger controls were called for after five per cent of samples taken from European food and animal feed showed pesticide residues in excess of allowable limits. A strategy for more sustainable use of pesticides has been voted through the European Parliament.
Non-governmental organisations such as the Pesticides Action Network (PAN) noted that MEPs were struggling with heavy pressure from industry when the vote went through parliament. Tougher restrictions on the use of pesticides in public areas proposed by Green MEPs were watered down to a ban on spraying near schools and hospitals.
Socialist Euro-MPs expressed shock that the centre-right voted against curbs on pesticides, putting the interests of the agro-chemical industry ahead of people's health and the environment.
With growing concerns over food supply and price rises the industry argues that chemicals are needed to keep production high. If a proposed framework directive comes into being then member states will be obliged to form a national action plan on how to reduce hazards, risk and dependence on chemical control for plant protection.
The role of regulator for pesticide products was transferred to the Malta Standards Authority earlier this year. The use of some pesticide imports from Italy and Spain, which were revoked from the market will become illegal after November and December of this year by order of legal notice. A pesticide in common use in Malta which appears on the list of revoked products is Malathion.
The EU Commission has taken a precautionary stand on Malathion, used in citrus groves and in landscaping, since it could not be proved that workers and bystanders were not at risk. The deadline for taking the product off the shelf expires this month with member states given 12 months to use up existing stocks. More attention is directed to minimise and where possible eliminate exposure to pesticides.
An infested palm tree at the milk processing plant in Ħamrun was treated with Imidacloprid in April. The pesticide has been banned in Germany after beekeepers lost two thirds of their honey bee population. Another chemical ingredient used on the dairy's premises against red palm weevil was Thiacloprid. Branded a 'bad actor' by PAN, it is considered unsafe for use in or around residential sites.
Guidelines for the control of red palm weevil suggest that pruning should only be done in winter followed by two or three insecticide treatments. Cutting green stems too close to the trunk encourages the laying of eggs in gaping holes which should be repaired with wood filler.
Individual trees of vulnerable species such as the Canary Island palm (Phoenix canariensis) should be located and inspected regularly. The Plant Health Department admits that detection is difficult. An infestation can go for three summers without being noticed. Once detected the advice for infested palms is regular drenching in toxic chemicals.
Elimination of palms should be preceded by 'heavy insecticide treatments' says the plant health unit, which recommends soaking the trunk and central leaves in a shower of 10 to 20 litres 'otherwise it is useless.'
If nothing else works the advice is to remove the infested palms; however a permit is required from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority before this can be done. The incinerator has been burning dead trees to prevent infection but how these are transported to Marsa might raise some human and plant health issues.
With the lampuki season not far off, fishermen will soon be planning to cut down palm fronds for use as traditional lures attracting the migrating fish to their shade. A ministry spokesman confirms that fishermen will be notified of controlled sites in Malta and Gozo where palm fronds can be collected.