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Tons of chemical insecticides (of which some were not designed for this purpose) have been released into the air and soil in the hope of combatting the red beetle plague. Due to concentration amounts and intensity, there has been destruction of useful auxiliary faunas in the surrounding areas. Delicate and crucial environmental imbalances are a direct consequence of these treatments.

 

Wasps and ladybirds are only two of the many species that have been adversely affected. Their mass destruction has caused exponential multiplication of a very nefarious family, namely, the cochineal.

 

Another consequence is scalps. When scalps settle in soil it enhances the development of fungi that attack plant roots causing them to rot. Here we come full circle as this situation is once again a potential danger to the palms trees that we set out to save in the first place and other large trees which, add to the problem.

 

An intelligent and environment friendly treatment is the most responsible option. We cannot carry on solving a single problem while adding many more problems for our children to sort out. Our responsibility to the environment, which sustains us, begins today and is for all the tomorrows to come.

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