Banana skippers — Erionota thrax, also known as “leaf rollers” — have infested banana plants on island “real bad,” according to agriculturist Isidoro T. Cabrera.
The insect, which is a butterfly, cuts and rolls the banana leaf into a cigar-shape shelter to lay its eggs. The plant will fail to synthesize and will produce bad fruit.
This is why the insect is considered a serious threat to banana industry in the U.S., particularly in Hawaii, where more than 80 percent of banana plants have been damaged by banana skippers.
Cabrera said the insect is again spreading on Saipan.
It was eradicated on Saipan and Tinian 30 years ago, he added.
The re-infestation was noticed only in July last year, and Cabrera suspects that this time, the insects are coming from neighboring islands.
To get rid of it, however, Cabrera said he will not recommend the use of pesticides or any kinds of spray.
Another insect that helped them eradicate banana skippers can still be on island, he added.
Cabrera said the banana skippers’ predator is the parasitic wasp, or Ooencyrtus erionotae, which was credited for controlling the growth of the banana skippers’ population in less than a year.
This is a “slow” method, but it will eliminate the banana skippers without affecting the environment, Cabrera said.
This threat to banana plants, whose fruit can be exported to neighboring islands, should be taken seriously, he added.
CNMI has more than 10 varieties of banana and each has a potential for value added agricultural products, which most farmers believe can help the local economy survive, Cabrera said.
