The Plant Health Directorate last week issued a statement saying that carob trees are falling victim to a beetle known scientifically as Apate monachus, in English, 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 species 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 that 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 new to the Maltese islands. It was first recorded in 2004

The black borer is not new to 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 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 here thousands of years ago and has become one of the most common trees, especially in agricultural areas.

In the past it was cultivated for its 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.

However, the disappearance of the carob tree from the Maltese countryside would change completely the local landscape and the way we think about nature.

Land would look more barren, especially in summer when carob trees create patches of green in a land that has been parched dry by lack of rain and the scorching sun.

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