Avoid using pesticides against hairy caterpillars, warns expert |06 October 2015
Avoid using synthetic pesticides against hairy caterpillars!
The strong recommendation which has also come in the form of an alert is from a biosystematist and technical expert from the Food and Agricultural Organisation.
Dr Georg Georgen is currently in Seychelles to identify and help implement what is hoped to be an effective hairy caterpillar control programme.
During his stay, he has conducted site visits, carried out observations, collect caterpillar samples and relevant data and met individuals and organisations concerned.
His mission follows a first one conducted two months ago by another Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) expert, Dr Wilfred Hammond.
He made the recommendation during a debriefing session on his mission at the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) training room last week.
Present were the principal secretary for fisheries and agriculture Michel Nalletamby, chief executive of the Seychelles Agricultural Agency (SAA) Marc Naiken and other partners from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
Dr Georgen stressed on the need to de-emphasise the use of pest control and chemical pesticides and rather adopt an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy in its place.
This is because IPM is an environmentally sensitive way to manage plant pests, using appropriate cultural, biological and chemical strategies. It uses a combination of practices and control methods to prevent problems from occurring rather than dealing with them after they have happened. IPM control methods include: biological control – using predators, parasites or microbial pathogens to suppress pests, cultural and physical control – using methods such as barriers, traps and cultivation techniques which expose pests to predation or destroy their food, shelter and breeding habitats, and genetic control – releasing sterilised male insects to decrease the incidence of successful mating of pest species.
Chemical control can also be applied, but only if it involves selecting the least toxic pesticides and using them only when needed as opposed to regular preventative spraying.
“If pesticides are to be used, they should be bio and environmentally friendly,” Dr Georgen has insisted.
He has warned of the dangers which other forms of pesticides can bring to the Seychelles’ fauna which he says is 50% endemic.
He added that pest control is not sustainable not only in economic and environmental terms, but also in terms of public health.
Going back to the origin of the hairy caterpillar which to date remains a mystery, Dr Georgen revealed that after an analysis of samples by the National History Museum of London, it is believed that the pest has originated from 30 undescribed species which exist in the Indian Ocean area. The observation seems to confirm the general belief here that the hairy caterpillar has been introduced in a way or another. In exactly what way, remains to be identified.
The biosystematist has added that it is also important to continue to monitor and study the pest in terms of its reproduction cycle and habits.
He also called for public involvement in the fight against the hairy caterpillar, emphasising that for this to happen, it is necessary to always disseminate available information to the general public.
He also warned that the authorities should consider that Seychelles is in turn a potential source of infestation for other parts of the world. Consequently, he advised, containment measures have to be applied at the country’s exit points.
Dr Georgen however ended his presentation on a positive note, saying we should not be pessimistic as the hairy caterpillar has not caused much harm elsewhere. This he said is a sign that it can eventually be controlled, in spite of its massive reproduction in the Seychelles’ environment, and with the absence of specific predators which could help destroy them.