The pines of Rome are an indispensable element of the landscape of the Italian capital, although for three years a plague has been decimating them. Now, a citizens’ initiative has found a solution: ladybugs that act as a natural predator from the turtle mealybug, the insect that kills iconic Roman trees.
This project, promoted by seven neighborhood organizations in Rome, releases ladybugs in the pines every month, with the aim of promoting a change that goes “from the use of chemicals to a natural balance” in the fight against pests, he told Efe. promoter of the initiative, Massimo Proietti Rocchi.
Next September 20 the Coccinella Day (Ladybug Day), the day the ladybugs are released to fight the turtle mealybug in different squares and green spaces in Rome.
For three years, a plague has been decimating the pines of Rome.
EFE
An american bug
The turtle mealybug, whose scientific name is Toumeyella parvicornis, is an insect from North America that arrived in Naples, in the south of the country, probably through a boat, in 2014.
It feeds on the sap of pine trees, causing its death, and was first detected in Rome in 2018, where he moved from the Neapolitan city from cup to cup. Being a species from America, lacks natural predators in Italy, which has allowed its rapid diffusion.
In 2019, “infections skyrocketed and began to spread exponentially, affecting a large part of the city of Rome,” according to the Italian National Phytosanitary Committee in its latest report.
Ladybug free everyone
To counteract Toumeyella, the initiative was created Coccinnella frees everyone, whose literal translation would be “ladybug free everyone”, but which is actually an adaptation of the name of a traditional Italian game.
Once a month, the associations that make up the project release at the same time in different green areas of Rome the two species of ladybugs that work best as a natural predator to act against the parasite.
Proietti Rocchi, who is also president of the Amici di Villa Leopardi association, explains that the Coccinella Day it has a scientific part to free the ladybugs in the crowns of the pines, but also another “aimed at children, who receive entomology classes and can interact with the ladybugs in their hands.”
The initiative, which is self-financed through donations from volunteers, has been experimenting with the use of ladybugs for a year
The initiative, which is self-financed through donations from volunteers, has been experimenting with the use of ladybugs for a year and maintains relationships with institutions to demonstrate the effectiveness of biological fight with ladybugs.
“Our work is essential to bring the data to the institutions,” Sandra Naggar, the head of institutional relations for the project and a member of the neighborhood association Comitato Don Minzoni, told EFE.
Chemical or biological fight
The indications of the National Phytosanitary Committee recommend the use of endotherapy to fight against Toumeyella, that is, injecting abamectin into the trunk, a substance that reaches the parasite through the sap and eliminates it.
“Many people defend that it is the fastest way to reduce the presence of Toumeyella. But they also know that not the long term solution“, expone Naggar.
The presence of the mealybug has decreased considerably compared to last June.
EFE
The agronomist Gino Vannucci confirms the success of the biological fight with ladybugs: “In the young pines of Piazza Don Minzoni the presence of the mealybug has decreased considerably compared to last June. On the big (pines) there are traces of cochineal, but the appearance of the vegetation is a beautiful green “.
Naggar does not want to claim the initiative from his “personal opinion about what is better”, but demonstrate “with data” the benefits of biological control and highlights that the institutions are “attentive and interested” to see if the ladybug is a new ally to save the pines of Rome, among other things because it is cheaper than chemical products.
Save biodiversity
“It’s not that we don’t want to save the pines of Rome, it’s that we want to save all the plants in the world“, claims Proietti Rocchi, very critical of endotherapy and who defends seeking a natural balance without the use of chemicals.
“Coccinella libera tutti” is just “a drop in the ocean, but revolutions start at some point“, he points out, remembering that as he speaks, two or three species will have been lost” without having got to know them. “
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