Crops > Trees, palms & pandanus > Trees > Mangrove > Ceroplastes risci, white mangrove, Galapagos



Crops > Trees, palms & pandanus > Trees > Mangrove > Ceroplastes risci, white mangrove, Galapagos

Crops Trees, palms & pandanus Trees Mangrove Ceroplastes risci, white mangrove, Galapagos

Ceroplastes risci, white mangrove, Galapagos

December 2015. A member in the Galapagos Islands wrote about a serious problem with the wax scale, Ceroplastes rusci, which is damaging white mangrove trees (Languncularia racemosa). This scale insect has been in the Galapagos Islands since at least 2001, but population numbers have recently increased. We suspect that this is in part because mangroves are stressed by climatic and/or environmental factors (including urban spread) and are more susceptible to the scale insect.
While we investigate this, we need to find a way to protect the mangrove stands which are few and far between, and obviously important habitats for birds/fish and invertebrates. Can anybody recommend any environmentally friendly techniques for controlling this pest in the short-term or point us in the direction of someone who might be able to advise us?