Invasive Citrus-Stripping Butterfly Spreading Across Caribbean, Approaching Florida - Reuters

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MIAMI - An Asian butterfly that strips the leaves off citrus trees is spreading in the Caribbean islands and could soon threaten Florida's beleaguered groves, agriculture officials said.

Papilio demoleus, known as the lime swallowtail or lemon swallowtail, is a well-known citrus pest in tropical Asia, where it causes millions of dollars in damage annually. It was discovered in the Americas for the first time in 2004, in the Dominican Republic, and was found in Puerto Rico earlier this year, scientists said.

On Tuesday, Jamaican Agriculture Minister Roger Clarke said the strain had been discovered on citrus farms in two parishes and was potentially devastating to Jamaica's US$1.5 million citrus export industry. "It actually defoliates the plant, gets on to the leaves and destroys the leaves ...," Wednesday's Jamaica Observer newspaper quoted him as saying. Clarke said Jamaican work teams were canvassing the orange groves and hand-picking the pupae off the trees but that aerial spraying of insecticide had not been authorized because of the potential threat to Jamaica's honeybee industry.

Florida Department of Agriculture officials could not immediately be reached for comment on Wednesday on the potential impact for Florida's US$9.1 billion citrus industry. But the department issued an alert to growers earlier this month warning that the insect is a strong flier and that "Without eradication in the Caribbean, it is likely the lime swallowtail will reach Florida very quickly."

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