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The Spittle Bug’s Deceiving Secretions
posted (February 17, 2015)
It wasn't snowing in Ladyville after all. BAHA representatives inspected the cotton tree in Ladyville today and confirmed that it was the spittlebug's secretion or "spittle mass" as it is referred to; NOT ice. According to them, these bugs attack mostly plants and agricultural crops. BAHA's Entomologist, Adriano Vasquez discussed the extent of damage they cause to crops and what can be done to eliminate these bugs:

Spittlebugs or "El Salivaso" as they are referred to in the North, also attack sugar cane crops. Hosing down the tree or plant along with common pesticides will get rid of these bugs. There are thousands of species of spittlebugs and one that is a common threat to Craboo and Soursop trees is the plant hopper. They also cause extensive damage to plants. As a final note, the spittle mass has also been spotted on a tree in Jamaica, misleading people into thinking it was ice. According to an online news site entitled RJR NEWS, the mass or frothy substance was seen on a branch of a Dogwood Tree in Trelawny, Jamaica…

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7 News Belize