Publication Date:
Sun, 2011-01-30 01:22
The Ministry of Agriculture says the minuscule white bug has the capacity to attack more than 60 species of plants including papaya, cassava, melons, mangos and tomatoes. The agency issued a statement Friday saying the bug already has been spotted on fruit trees, legumes, ornamentals, root crops and teak trees. Officials said the wasps are not a threat to humans and that they will be monitored. Jamaica has a robust agriculture sector that employs 17 percent of the labor force to produce crops such as sugarcane, bananas and coffee. The papaya mealybug originated in Mexico and first invaded the Caribbean in 1993.
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