Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Victory Over Yellowtail Moths

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

CARACAS, Jan 23 2012 (IPS) - Significant advances were made last year in the battle against yellowtail moths (Hylesia metabus) in towns along the northeastern Venezuelan peninsula of Paria. The moths inhabit the mangrove swamps of the Gulf of Paria which separates Venezuela from the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. "Of the several million moths found a year ago in 13 municipalities in the area, we now find just a few specimens and only in three districts, thanks to the system of traps, on-site fumigation and aerial spraying over the mangroves," Gregorio Alvarado, the head of environmental affairs in the region, told Tierramérica.

The moths, which measure roughly five centimeters, swarm from the mangroves to nearby towns after dark, attracted by the lights. Females of the species release microscopic urticating hairs that cause a form of dermatitis known as the Caripito itch.

The moths became more widespread after 2004, swept in by the winds of Hurricane Ivan, and turned into a scourge for thousands of inhabitants of the Venezuelan northeast, where the economic mainstays are farming, fishing and tourism.

Alvarado said the campaign against the moths would continue in 2012 with the installation of more traps as well as the possible introduction of other insects which are natural predators that feed on Hylesia metabus larvae.