Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: No Palms, Blame the Butterfly

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CARACAS, Nov 7 2005 (IPS) - The caterpillar of the Brassolis sophorae butterfly are destroying the fronds of palm trees in Caracas, especially in the Botanical Garden, the 70-acre lungs of the city center that had aimed to establish Latin America's leading palm tree collection, says director Mariflor Burguillos. Entomologist Yasmín Contreras told Tierramérica that the areas hardest hit in the city are Los Caobos Park, with several tree-covered hectares alongside the Botanical Garden, and the neighborhoods where there are a lot of chaguaramo or royal palms (Roystonea regia).

This pest is harmless to humans, noted Contreras. So far, the Ministry of Environment has been fighting the problem by collecting the species' pupae and larvae in public sites and homes, eliminating them later by submerging them in oil or in concentrated liquid soap.