"The inhabitants of the hilly area of the Neapolitan capital, in this period, in addition to the problems related to the massive presence of entire colonies of cockroaches and rats, with increasingly frequent reports, as the days go by, also due to the precarious hygienic-sanitary conditions in which many streets and squares are, unfortunately have to face another long-standing problem that generates many consequences, also for the health of the inhabitants, and that punctually reappears every summer, aggravated by inefficiencies and delays. So also this year, thanks to the heat and the sultry weather, but also because of the lack of interventions, both of the necessary pruning and of the appropriate reclamation, once again the street trees of the hill, mostly made up of rows of plane trees, are infested by myriads of aphids, known as "plane tree bugs" ". The latest report is from Gennaro Capodanno, president of the Comitato Valori collinari, who every day collects the indignant protests of numerous residents, afflicted by the problems highlighted. “Apart from the repercussions on the already meager public tree heritage – says Capodanno – with the felling and removal of numerous sick plane trees or also attacked by the infamous colored cancer, not yet replaced by new trees, with the consequence that, only in the pedestrian areas of via Scarlatti and via Luca Giordano, there are currently numerous empty tree fountains, the damage caused to the unfortunate citizens by insects is not to be underestimated since their bites can cause annoying blisters, with redness and itching”.
"The phenomenon is dated - continues Capodanno -. In fact, it already appeared in Vomero in the distant 80s. Unfortunately, the simple pruning of the plane trees, which however this year has not been carried out in many streets of the hilly area, starting from Via Scarlatti, to the point that the branches of the trees extend up to the upper floors of the buildings, does not serve at all to eradicate the phenomenon at the root, since the insect, which has already been identified in the past as belonging to the family of tingidae, and whose scientific name is Corythucha ciliata, in addition to the leaves, also lives under the bark, proliferating at a rate of 200 eggs for each female and for a cycle of 45 days. For this reason it does not appear possible to fight it with normal pesticides, which are also harmful to humans. The presence of this parasite is highlighted by the characteristic color of the leaves, which, once attacked, are afflicted by a strong dechlorophyllization, tending to fall prematurely. "Some time ago - concludes Capodanno -, faced with the umpteenth accentuation of the phenomenon during the summer period, experts in the sector were also consulted. From the studies carried out, it seems that the most effective method to combat the annoying bug is the natural one, using, to eliminate it, the same parasites of the insect to be introduced, through injections to the trunk, on the infested plants. Therefore, to combat the plane tree tingid it would be necessary to intervene with specific therapies, at the beginning of spring, using eco-compatible endotherapeutic treatments.
"But how long will the inhabitants of the hill have to wait - asks Capodanno - for us to finally decide to solve the problem of diseased street trees? In the meantime, it would be desirable for all the bodies responsible for safeguarding the health of citizens to take action, each for their own competences, to evaluate all the actions to be taken for the definitive solution of the long-standing issue. In the meantime, reports continue to arrive, the latest of which from via Bernardo Cavallino, of entire families forced, in this period of heat and mugginess, to live with the shutters closed to avoid the dangerous bites of insects that, through the branches of the trees, not pruned and that extend up to the balconies, enter their homes.
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