WHAT WENT BEFORE

“Cocolisap” (Aspidiotus rigidus), local term for coconut scale insect (CSI), causes the leaves of coconut trees to dry up and turn brown before withering away. It is believed to have originated on Sangi Island in Indonesia in the 1920s.

In 2014, at least 2.1 million coconut trees in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon provinces) and in parts of Mindanao were infested, prompting the government to declare an outbreak and allot P750 million to stop the spread of the pest.

In July 2014, local scientists discovered Comperiella sp. (Encytidae, Hymenoptera), a wasp-like native insect that could end the CSI oubreak by puncturing the scale of cocolisap and depositing its eggs into the host insect. Its larvae feed on the CSI’s internal tissues until the host dies in 25 days.

The cocolisap outbreak also prompted the establishment of the Controlled Environment Research Facility (CERF) at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB). —INQUIRER RESEARCH