The Chamber of Silves hired insects to help control pests in the county gardens. The municipality has been using auxiliary insects, natural predators of infesting animals, to combat theprocessionary pine aphid and aphids, aka green lice, avoiding the use of chemical products and has also been experimenting with the “innovative technique” of plant endotherapy to combat tree pests and diseases.
In the case of the pine processionary, the municipality of Silvense began to carry out «treatments in all schools in the municipality, through which it was possible to reduce the presence of this pest with an efficiency rate of 98%».
“There is also an ongoing pilot project for the preventive control of green lice in jacaranda trees located in the All-Mutamid square, which has also shown significant levels of success. As part of this action, auxiliary insects will be dropped on these trees on June 13th and for the first time (Chrysoups), which are native predators (often appear spontaneously in greenhouses and in open fields), whose larvae are voracious and very efficient in controlling aphids, eating up to 50 in a day», according to the Municipality of Silves.
In addition to insects, the municipality has used plant endotherapy, "a method that consists of injecting nutrients or phytosanitary substances directly into the tree trunk, which will allow its distribution throughout the plant's vascular system."
This methodology is used to treat trees instead of conventional spray treatments. «The risks of allergies and reactions that may arise from animals and other plants are minimized, and can be applied at any time of the day, even if it rains, as the product will be inside the plant and will not be washed away by the rain. In this way, as a rule, there are faster results», concluded the Chamber of Silves.
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