Cape Town, June 24: An insect pest that wrought havoc in the California fruit industry two decades ago has made its appearance in the Western Cape, a University of Stellenbosch entomologist announced on Tuesday.
The Pomegranate or Ash whitefly could severely damage garden shrubs, and apple, pear, olive, citrus and pomegranate trees, Professor Jan Giliomee said in a statement.
Giliomee discovered the insect recently for the first time in South Africa on a wild olive on the Overberg coast, and it was then formally identified by a taxonomist of the National Insect Collection in Pretoria.
The whitefly originates in Mediterranean countries such as Spain, Italy, Israel and Egypt, and has spread to India, Iran, New Zealand and Australia.
Giliomee said a number of pomegranate cuttings had been imported into South Africa from Israel and India in the past few years.
He surmised that the whitefly entered the country with plant material that was not quarantined as required by law.
—Agencies