TRNC Announces Progress in Combatting Cactus Mealybug Affecting Prickly Pears

On February 24, TRNC Minister of Agriculture and Natural Resources Hüseyin Çavuş reported encouraging results in the efforts to combat the cactus mealybug in Northern Cyprus.

According to the ministry, field research in the Serdarlı region in December 2025 revealed the predatory beetle Hyperaspis trifurcata, which feeds on the cactus mealybug (Dactylopius opuntiae). It is noted that the mealybug is a South American species used in Mediterranean countries as a biological control agent.

The project to determine the distribution of Dactylopius opuntiae in the TRNC and its biological control is being implemented by the Agricultural Research Institute Directorate of the TRNC Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, in cooperation with Turkey's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Adana Biological Control Research Institute, and Ankara University, supported by the Turkish Embassy's Development and Economic Cooperation Office in Nicosia.

Mass rearing of the beneficial beetle has begun at the Turkmenköy Station of the Agricultural Research Institute. Releases in pilot zones are planned for April to contain the pest and restore prickly pear (babutsa) plantations.

Çavuş noted that the project's achievements were discussed in technical meetings between the two communities; at the request of the south of Cyprus, the beneficial species will be shared.

Furthermore, as part of the fight against the Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri), 90,000 Tamarixia radiata parasitoid wasps have been released into nature over two years. Chemical treatments must be avoided in release areas to ensure their establishment.