A month ago, helicopters paid by the Region flew over the cork oak forests of Alta Gallura, the Agris operation was aimed at countering the spread of the larvae of the defoliator lepidopteran Lymantria dispar. The areas were treated from above with Bacillus thuringiensis, a biological insecticide that kills the caterpillars. However, the lymantry has caused very serious damage in various locations in the territories of the Municipalities of Calangianus, Telti, Sant'Antonio di Gallura, to name a few of the towns that, unfortunately, know well the results of the passage of the lepidopteran larvae.
The caterpillars also attacked the oaks marked by Agris and the Forestry Corps; on the trunks of the trees, completely devoid of leaves, it is written that the area was treated with Bacillus thuringiensis. Although Bacillus thuringiensis did its job, in several areas, clearly visible from Olbia Tempio, the landscape is ghostly, with large areas of cork oaks devoid of foliage . The biological insecticide worked, eliminating between 70 and 80 percent of the larvae, but evidently there were so many caterpillars that they survived the treatment. After devouring the leaves, many caterpillars died of hunger before transforming into chrysalises.
Fabio Albieri, mayor of Calangianus, appeals to the Region: «The treatment is good, but it wasn't enough. We need more funds, we can't think about a situation like this for next year. Obviously we need to strengthen the operation». The mayor of Sant'Antonio di Gallura, Carlo Viti confirms: «I was contacted by owners of cork oak forests, very worried, and I spoke to my colleague from Telti, Vittorio Pinducciu. The shock for the plants is dangerous, the cork oaks are already suffering for other reasons and the attack of the lymantry aggravates the situation . For next year it is necessary to strengthen the treatment and expand the network of monitoring points».