East Africa: Sap-Sucking Insects May Combat Kenyan Cactus Plague

18 May 2015

An insect that sucks the sap out of cactus plants has been trialled in East Africa to contain the spread of an invasive cactus species that threatens local grazing areas.

The cochineal bug, known as dudu in Swahili, for biological control has been released on farmland in Kenya's Laikipia region, which is used by Maasai for livestock herding. The trial showed that the dudu bug feeds exclusively on the Opuntia stricta cactus, better known as prickly pear, which has invaded grasslands and drives out local plants used to feed cattle.

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