The City Council applies a sustainable treatment to more than half a thousand ficus trees to combat the psylla pest.

More than 2,000 injections are being administered in the trunks of tree species. The treatment is in addition to the one carried out in October against the processionary caterpillar in pine trees.

Estepona City Council reports that it is conducting a preventive campaign to control insect pests that could damage the trees in public parks in the municipality.

The deputy mayor of the area of Services and External Control, Blas Ruzafa, reported that operators of the municipal delegation of Parks and Gardens are acting in more than 500 ficus, which are applying a sustainable treatment that aims to prevent damage that can cause psylla in this tree species.

The municipal responsible has explained that this is a preventive action that is carried out as soon as the first symptoms are detected, before cottony secretions are formed in the trees. He also assured that this way of proceeding is the best strategy to fight against this pest.

The application of phytosanitary products is carried out using Ynject devices by means of endotherapy (injection in the trunk), allowing, in a simple way and without investment in machinery, to increase the good phytosanitary and vegetative state of the specimens.

Thus, during the period in which this campaign is carried out, municipal operators trained for this purpose administer 2,250 injections of insecticide in the trunks of these tree species, usually 3 applications per specimen, reaching 5 units in large ficus.

Another advantage of this system is that it does not produce emissions of chemicals into the environment, since the product is injected directly into the trunk. The applicator operators are part of the gardening staff, who have been trained to perform this task and have the phytosanitary applicator’s license required by current legislation.

This preventive treatment is included in the annual phytosanitary calendar of the municipal green areas, and the action protocol is managed and supervised by the phytosanitary advisor, who prepares both the annual calendar and the advisory document prior to the treatment.

On the other hand, it should be remembered that last October the Consistory carried out a campaign in pine trees against the processionary caterpillar, a caterpillar that causes health problems in people and animals. When contacting directly or indirectly the stinging hairs of this caterpillar with the skin produce allergic reactions and hives in humans and pets.