Tunisia: No transmission of cochineal from cactus to olive tree

The truth about the Cactus Mealybug in Tunisia: No threat to Olive Trees. Within the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries in Tunisia, a recent press release was published to debunk a persistent rumor that has sowed confusion among farmers. The subject of this controversy? The alleged transmission of the cochineal from the cactus to the olive tree. The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture was categorical in its denial, explaining that reports regarding the spread of this insect from prickly pears to neighboring olive trees were unfounded. According to the agriculture department, sporadic sightings of psyllids on certain olive branches had been misinterpreted, thus causing doubts within the agricultural community. The ministry's technical team stressed that the cactus mealybug had been transported to the olive trees by the wind, without posing a threat to these trees or to other plant species. Scientific studies have corroborated this assertion by confirming that this ...