Avocado growers on alert in Malaga province as new pest threatens their crops

Eugenio Cabezas

Axarquía

Thursday, 13 February 2025, 19:34

The delicate situation that the avocado sector in Malaga and Granada provinces have been going through due to the extreme drought that has been raging for five years, has now been joined by a new threat in the form of a small beetle. It is the Euwallacea fornicatus, more commonly known as the ambrosia beetle.

This tiny insect, barely perceptible to the human eye, has gone from being a complete unknown to local farmers in Granada and Malaga to one of the main dangers facing the sector, after its presence was detected for the first time in three farms in Motril in 2023. This has led the Junta de Andalucía's department for agriculture to officially declare the presence of this small insect and the fungus associated with it a pest.

The regional agricultural spokesperson, Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, announced on Wednesday 12 February that the Andalusian government is finalising the procedures prior to the publication of the order that will regulate compensation for the destruction of avocado crops affected by the beetle.

During his speech at the Junta de Andalucía in Seville, Fernández-Pacheco stated that the regional government is working to ensure that "the procedure established for the application and granting of compensation is carried out as quickly as possible", as the presence of the ambrosia beetle is an issue that "occupies and worries" the regional government.

The spokesperson explained this activity is an example of the "constant and coordinated work that has been carried out in Andalucía from the outset". Fernández-Pacheco explained that in December 2023, after the first suspicion of the presence of the beetle in three ornamental trees in Motril, the Junta installed a total of 25 traps.

The aim of the traps is to detect the presence of the beetle and, if necessary, to carry out intensive surveys in the area where specimens are found. In this way, it would be possible to identify affected trees and implement measures aimed at eradicating them in accordance with current regulations.

Despite having traps in place since the end of 2023, the first beetles in Andalucía were not captured until the summer of 2024. In view of this confirmation, the Junta complied with the regulations regarding the procedure and notification of the pest, and organised, together with Motril town hall, technical conferences to inform the agricultural sector about the measures to be adopted.

In October 2024, the Andalusian government confirmed the presence of the insect for the first time in an avocado plantation. Since then, regular monitoring, testing and measures have been applied to the farm in Motril where its presence was detected. In view of this situation, in December last year the existence of the pest, the affected areas and the measures to be applied were officially declared.

The Junta de Andalucia is continuing to monitor the region by means of new traps installed in December and January in Granada province and in municipalities in Malaga and Huelva provinces.

Phytosanitary measures to be applied at agricultural holdings affected by the ambrosia beetle include sampling to detect its presence. They must also carry out phytosanitary treatments with authorised products and other control measures, prune trees or shrubs completely or partially and immediately destroy plant remains of affected trees and shrubs. In view of the presence of the pest, limitations are also established for sharing vehicles, means of transport, boxes and containers of other elements of the agricultural activity; and the correct disinfection of tools, equipment and materials used is required.