Parasitic wasps to combat pests threatening U.S.V.I. palm trees

Thursday, October 9, 2003

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands: More than 2,000 parasitic wasps have been released in St. Croix as officials there battle a pest that threatens the sago palm tree.

Officials say they hope the wasps will stem an outbreak of Asian cycad scale insects that threaten the palm and can eventually destroy it, AP reported. The tree is a valuable ornamental plant that was first imported by hotels to the U.S. territory in 1998.

Scientists estimate that in the past five years, the pests killed about half of the more than 1,000 plants in the territory.

The plants can live for more than 100 years and can be worth more than $1,000. The pests apparently suck on the tissues of the palm fronds, turning them grayish-white and eventually killing the slow-growing plant.

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