- Proliferation of Pests is a Serious Problem
-
As these, our Virgin Islands become more and more accessible to the outer world we are also becoming accessible to a number of pests. A few years ago despite some basic precautions, the pink mealy bug made it to the British Virgin Islands causing consternation among agriculturists and horticulturists. The pinky beast has been causing havoc to our gardens for over four years and although its proliferation has been contained the devastation caused by this insect continues.
Now we have Cuban frogs by the thousands; all of a sudden, out of the blue. The name is certainly deceiving as we suspect they have been imported here from some other large island but certainly not Cuba. The predicament we are confronted with begs a few questions. Are the cargo vessels that come to the BVI properly inspected? Or they just come and drop anything and everything and sail away happily ever after?
These Cuban frogs are not only ugly, noisy and obnoxious, they also are pernicious, in every respect. It is therefore extremely important that the Environmental Health Division be given the weapons to fight this formidable pest. At the same time it would be wise to look into another type of pest which has become endemic to these beautiful islands - RATS & MICE. As more cargo ships come to the BVI they also introduce all types of small, and not so small, rodents, some of them very proliferate and dangerous.
It is a well know fact that rats are carriers of every conceivable disease, including bubonic plague. It is also a fact that once upon a time only on a rainy day one would see a few dead frogs on the asphalt, squashed by the vehicles. Now it only takes a five minute walk to encounter the remains of a rat that has crossed the road. This is how proliferate they are. Most housewives are very much aware of the problem. These rats come in every size, colour and shape. They are very obstinate and once they enter your home it takes a nuclear bomb to get rid of them. To shrug one's shoulders about this problem is simply irresponsible behaviour. We remember with horror the shelf of a supermarket where candy bars and snacks had been inspected by some resident rat.
Given the access these pests have to dump sites, garbage dumps, and the like we can only prognosticate that they will prosper and multiply exponentially until there will be millions of them. And it will not take too long to get there. While we may view these problems as a price for progress, and while we certainly sympathize with the authorities who are confronted with a slippery and complex problem that continues to challenge all countries in the world, we also feel that some serious measures ought to be taken. If we want to curb this invasion of Cuban frogs we must do something swift and effective about it.
Cosmetic measures will not do - more, much more needs to be done.