French orchards are faced with an invasion of brown marmorated stink bugs. Originally from Asia, this invasive species causes significant damage for fruit and vegetable producers. This year in particular, reports of this bug are multiplying.
For three years, Philippe Julien has been confronted with an invasive species on his kiwi farm in Pont-Saint-Esprit (Gard department). The brown marmorated stink bugs have invaded his fruit trees. “The day after I placed the trap, there were 150 bugs. Now, there are 3,000,” explains the producer. “Inside the fruit, dead cells that are dry make the fruit unfit for consumption,” claims a nashi producer who has lost 40% of his production.
The bugs settled in Europe through Switzerland in 2004. They probably arrived hidden in garden equipment, and they continue to arrive. “They travel very well, hidden in trains, in containers,” explains the researcher from Inra (French National Institute for Agronomic Research). “They do not need plants. We have spotted many in cars arriving from Asia by boat.”
Source: francetvinfo.fr
Photo: © LDD