Effects of Cochineal bugs damage to Opuntia stricta
Dr. Staline Kibet a lecturer from LARMAT join Prof. Shirley Strum and Mr. Patrick Mwangi of ENBP to assess the effects of Cochineal bugs damage to Opuntia stricta invasive weeds after unusually prolong rainy season in late 2019 at Oljogi Ranch, Laikipia County. After painstakingly long process of acquiring the permits to import and test the effectiveness of Cochineal bugs (Dactylopiusopuntiae) from South Africa, they were finally release on trials at Oljogi Ranch on three sites selected by NEMA. The Ewaso Nyiro Baboon Project (ENBP) has been monitoring the effectiveness of the bugs since its release in 2013. The ENBP interest in Opuntia stricta came about after the species began spreading unprecedentedly from around 2005 and observation that increasingly Baboon diet during dry season contains a significant portion of the Opuntia fruits. In essence effective seeds dispersers.
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