The marble bug control coordinating center of the National Food Agency of Georgia has started implementing the activities scheduled for 2023.
According to the National Food Agency (NFA), specialists from the Coordinating Center have begun monitoring the prevalence of the marble bug. At this stage, personal plots and abandoned buildings are monitored. In those territories where, following the results of the first stage, a high concentration of pests is recorded, “Attract and destroy” traps will be mounted. This will help to detect the exact area of distribution and reduce the number of pests.
“It is noteworthy that as a result of active and efficient measures taken by the state in recent years, the geographic range of the pest has not expanded, and it is localized only in Western Georgia. However, for the purpose of prevention, monitoring systems will also be deployed in Eastern Georgia,” the NFA noted.
According to the Agency, measures for the chemical treatment of territories will be scheduled taking into account the results of monitoring, the biological cycle of the marble bug, as well as weather conditions.
Along with this, the National Food Agency called on farmers to engage in the fight against the marble bug, emphasizing that to protect hazelnuts and other crops from pests, timely measures provided for by the agricalendar are needed. Related issues are also discussed during information meetings with citizens held in various regions of the country by specialists of the Coordination Center with the assistance of local authorities.
According to the NFA, in 2022, as part of the fight against marble bug, a chemical treatment of 251 100 ha in Western Georgia was carried out. Of the total area, 167 300 ha were treated with thermal mist, and 83 800 ha with cold spraying. About 250 units of specialized equipment were used then.
Georgia, mainly its western part, faced a marble bug outbreak in 2016. One of the most affected by the problem is the hazelnut industry. Comprehensive measures to combat the marble bug, carried out in the country with state support for all these years, have led to positive results – starting from 2019, the yield of hazelnuts and their quality began to grow again. However, in 2022, for a number of reasons, many farmers were unable to provide proper care for hazelnut orchards, including treatment against the marble bug, and, as a result, received relatively smaller yields. Taking into account the current situation, last fall, the authorities additionally approved a new state program to support hazelnut growers, which provides them with financial support for work in hazelnut orchards.
It should be noted that the Association of Hazelnut Producers of Georgia reported the spread of the marble bug found in Eastern Georgia in 2022 – in the Kakheti region.
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