Naples launches the world's first trial against the tortoiseshell scale insect with an exotic ladybug

An innovative experiment aimed at saving pine trees from the tortoiseshell scale insect began this morning in the Mostra d'Oltremare grove in Naples. For the first time in the world, approximately one hundred specimens of the exotic ladybug Thalassa montezumae were released, a natural predator of the invasive insect that has caused serious damage over the past decade in Campania and other Italian regions.

The initiative, promoted by the Ministry of Agriculture and coordinated by the Campania Region through the Regional Phytosanitary Service, involves the scientific involvement of the Department of Agriculture at Federico II University and the Crea Defense and Certification agency. The site chosen for the trial allows monitoring the beetle's effectiveness on both young and large pine trees.

Regional Agriculture Councillor Maria Carmela Serluca emphasized the importance of this unique experiment: "If the field results confirm those from the laboratory, we will be able to adopt an effective and sustainable method to protect pine trees without the use of chemical pesticides, which are particularly problematic in urban and coastal areas."

Entomologist Antonio Garonna of Federico II University explained that the tortoiseshell scale insect, present in Campania for about ten years, has now reached other Italian regions and poses a serious threat to the stone pine, a particularly vulnerable species. After observing the ineffectiveness of local predators, the CREA identified the Thalassa montezumae in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

After rigorous laboratory tests and environmental assessments authorized by the Ministry of the Environment, the ladybug was released for field monitoring. Researcher Giuseppino Sabatini clarified that the goal is not the immediate extinction of the scale insect, but rather to achieve a natural balance that reduces damage to plants. The process will take several years, but the first positive signs could emerge as early as next year, with the beetle reproducing and demonstrating its ability to survive the winter.