In Kenya, the fight against the devastating papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus) is being stepped up. Papaya mealybug is a serious pest, originating in Central America. It spread to the Caribbean and South America in the 1990s. The pest was first detected in Africa in 2010 in Ghana and in Mombasa County, Kenya, in 2016.
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CABI, together with colleagues from the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), the National Museums of Kenya and Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Services (KEPHIS), are preparing to unleash Acerophagus papayae against the papaya mealybug in Machakos, Makueni, Tharaka Nthi and Embu. A. papayae is a small parasitic wasp that only attacks the papaya mealybug by laying eggs on the pest.
It is hoped that future releases will also be able to be carried out in Meru, Murang’a, Kitui, Homabay, Busia and Baringo – thereby covering all 10 of the major papaya growing counties in Kenya.
Source: cabi.org