Report of Cylas formicarius in Trinidad and Tobago

 

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Publication Date

Sat, 12 Nov 2016, 09:24

Last Updated

Nov. 12, 2016, 9:24 a.m.

Report Number

TTO-09/7

Country

Trinidad and Tobago

Pest Id

Cylas formicarius - (CYLAFO)

Report Status

Preliminary

Hosts

Plants off ipomeoa family especially Ipomeoa batatas.

Pest Status (old values from ISPM 8 -1998 )

• Present: only in some areas
• Present: subject to official control

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and under official control

Geographical Distribution

Present in 3 areas in the Caroni County.

Summary

Suspected specimens of Cylas formicarius were discovered in Trinidad on May 27, 2015 in the Caroni County, off Perseverance Road in Chaguanas. Official diagnosis was completed via the Caribbean Pest Diagnostic Network (CPDN) by Dr. Lyle Buss of the University of Florida June 1, 2015. Surveillance activities using imported sex pheromones lures revealed a distribution limited to three areas within one county. Damage on infested farms were high. An investigative team was convened and the following action was initiated :- - Continued distribution mapping of infested sites - Pheromone mass trapping exercise on the most affected farms - Public Awareness exercises - Pursuance of enactment of legislation for Notifiable Pest status - Integrated Pest Management strategy being promoted.

Danger

Damage can range from 5 to 80%, which increases with the duration of unharvested storage roots. The pest is a major Invasive Alien Species (IAS) and is of high priority on the list for pests of plant quarantine importance. The pest prevalence is high within the major sweet potato commercial farms.

Contact for info

Mr. Allan Balfour Central Experiment Station Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries [email protected] 1-868- 646- 4335-7

Report files

Website

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