I suggest to everyone to come and see the beautiful row of palm trees planted decades ago in the central reservation just outside San Anton Gardens, before they are all gone, which at this rate will be very soon. Not more than 200m away on either side are two mature palm trees that have been killed by the red palm weevil, and a very tall one literally across the road is possibly showing very early signs of attack, though I sincerely hope I am mistaken. When the host tree dies, the resident weevils take flight in considerable numbers in search of a new host. Each female may lay up to 300 eggs on one tree - a fact which hardly bears thinking about.

Dead palm trees are in evidence in all localities. Witness once-majestic exemplars at the Naxxar primary school, at the San Ġwann school, in Qormi, Mosta, Floriana, everywhere. In September, friends reported no less than five weevils (correctly identified) that landed in their back yard over a two-day period. Pesticidal treatment on a large scale is not practicable - the weevils burrow deep into the palm and are therefore well shielded from external application of pesticides, and other methods of delivery require great persistence and come at a substantial cost.

Realistically, infected trees must immediately be cut down or uprooted and burned.

The matter and options have also been discussed with a UK qualified agronomist on a local online forum, www.maltagardening.com.

The shameful thing about this is that "treatment" locally as offered by the responsible governmental entity, whichever that may be, involves wrapping the tops of the condemned trees with polythene sheeting, one assumes after pesticide has (however ineffectually) been applied.

Leaving aside the fact that the weevils may emerge from any part of the trunk top or bottom, this sheeting is anything but a secure seal, and generally blows off on the first windy day. Not only, but instead of taking an initiative to seek out and properly deal with the problem, confronting issues such as infected trees on private property, disinterested or uncooperative owners, plus the logistics of removal, the last we heard about the matter (in The Times, August 8) was that while not reporting an infected palm tree on private property to the Plant Health Department may lead to legal action, if this is reported and the tree is "treated" the owner will be billed for the service! Some initiative! This is a national epidemic, and that is certainly no way to handle it.

Since it is possible that someone in authority will write back to claim that effective measures are being taken, I anticipate this reply - there are palm trees dying in all areas, and there are weevils in the air.

The English say: "The proof of the pudding..."