Since almost a year, the Division for Rural Sciences and Food Systems of the University of Malta has been working on the fig tree borer and Prof. David Mifsud, an Entomologist within the Institute of Earth Systems has been closely supervising this work which is being carried out by Ms Simone Cutajar.
Sessions are being held around Malta and Gozo to reach out to fig tree growers, both commercial and hobbyists.
The idea behind reaching out and creating a dialogue is so as to engage with the communities who are most affected by the spread of the fig tree bark beetle (Hypocryphalus scabricollis) with the aims of:
- creating an open dialogue where growers have the opportunity to learn about the work being carried out and address any concerns that might arise
- encourage growers to bring forward any information or insights they have – this is especially relevant since otherwise it would have been impossible to conduct individual fieldtrip visits with every grower
- reassure growers that their concerns are being met
- creating links with growers so that the researcher can then conduct field visits with some of them to collect more information.
Two sessions have already been held, both at the Plant Health Directorate’s premises in Attard. The first session was held on 9 February 2017 and the second session was held on 30 March 2017.
The third and final session will be held on Friday 26 May 2017 at the Gozo Farm in Xewkija at 18:30 hrs.
The session takes around 1.5 hours and includes an informative presentation summing up the work that has been carried out, the results and the future work. This is followed by a Q & A and discussion between the growers and researcher.
The main topics addressed during the talk are as follows:
- Fig trees and their pests - Brief introduction of fig trees in Malta and general pests present
- Hypocryphalus scabricollis, fig tree borer - Brief introduction into wood boring beetles – most specifically Hypocryphalus scabricollis
- Preliminary observations and results
- What can we do? - Potential prevention and management strategies to limit dispersal of pest
- What's on the horizon? - Brief description of future work and what to expect.
The general public is invited to attend.