The pine tortoise scale, recognizable by its reddish-brown oval shell, attacks exclusively pine trees. FREDON PACA
The pine tortoise mealybug landed in France a little over a year ago. It comes from Italy, where it has already attacked tens of thousands of umbrella pines.
It does not measure more than 3 millimeters, but sows growing concern in the Var department. The pine tortoiseshell scale, recognizable by its reddish-brown oval shell, attacks exclusively pine trees. She started her feast in Italy in 2014, before being reported for the first time in September 2021 in France in the town of Saint-Tropez, reports The Parisian.
« Toumeyella parvicornis (its Latin name, Ed) entered through the port of Naples, probably on imported trees », explains the Italian agronomist Franco Milito. This pest has since decimated trees in the regions of Campania and Lazio. Rome notably suffered a « massive attack : out of about 100 000 pins parasols, environ 70 % were infected ». Some municipalities in Puglia and Abruzzo are also affected, like Bari and time.news, adds Antonio Garonna, professor of entomology at the Frederick II University of Naples. To date, he says, « tens of thousands of umbrella pines…
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