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ASCC Press Release
Thursday, June 12, 2008
CNR/DoA Fighting Breadfruit Pest on Ta’u
By Dr. Mark Schmaedick, CNR
Since the 1990s, when the Seychelles scale insect was accidentally introduced to Ta’u, residents there have watched their breadfruit and other trees suffer from repeated outbreaks of the sap-sucking insect. As the white wax-covered Seychelles scales feed on the plant juices, they excrete a sugary waste product that drips onto the leaves below. Black sooty mold grows on this exudate, giving the trees an ugly appearance and blocking the sunlight that is needed for the tree to grow.
Earlier this month the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) Division of Community and Natural Resources and the American Samoa Department of Agriculture implemented a plan that they hope will bring long-term relief and a return of healthy and productive breadfruit trees to Ta’u. They released a small, reddish-colored beetle that is a voracious enemy of the Seychelles scale. The beetle, known to scientists as “Rodolia pumila,” feeds only on Seychelles scales and closely related species, and has already kept the Seychelles scales under control on Tutuila for many decades.
On February 1, ASCC CNR Director Tapa’au Dr. Daniel Mageo Aga and Department of Agriculture (DoA) Director Peter Gurr, accompanied by CNR staff, discussed the plan with Manu’a District Governor Tufele Li’umatua and other traditional leaders at the Office of Samoan Affairs. As a result of the meeting it was decided to proceed with the project. After studying the beetles in the laboratory, carefully screening them for any beetle diseases or parasites, and successfully rearing them in large numbers, Land Grant and DoA were ready to introduce the beetles to Ta’u Island. One obstacle remained, however. Upon reaching Ta’u, transportation was needed to quickly get the beetles from the Ta’u airport to the release sites. With gasoline supplies depleted on the island, no transportation was available. Luckily, the local Department of Public Safety and station chief Saena Moliga stepped in and offered the use of the station’s diesel-fueled fire engine. The beetles were delivered quickly and safely and released on the breadfruit trees, where they immediately went to work on the Seychelles scales.
It will not be known for at least a year whether or not the beetles can succeed in controlling the Seychelles scales, but with a solid boost from the collaborators at Land Grant and DoA and the timely “rescue” by DPS, they should be off to a great start.
Anyone with questions about the project can contact Peter Gurr at DoA (699-9272) or Mark Schmaedick at Land Grant (699-1575).
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