Merchtem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hugo De Breucker, 71 years old, in Merchtem, faces walnut losses from the North American walnut borer fly. Koen Es and Alain De Cré confirm that nuts blacken and trees die early.
As VRT News reported, Hugo De Breucker, a 71-year-old from Lindestraat in Merchtem, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, loses walnuts to the North American walnut borer fly. Koen Es of Meise Botanic Garden explains that the female fly lays eggs in the husk of growing walnuts. The hatchlings feed on the fruit tissue. This results in the nuts turning black and becoming useless. It has been reported that the pest is spreading in Belgian gardens and can severely reduce yields from a tree that is impacted.
“The fly has been in Belgium since 2018 and is causing increasing damage,”
Koen Es of Meise Botanic Garden says.
What is causing walnut losses on Hugo De Breucker’s Merchtem tree?
The damage caused by the walnut borer fly is not limited to the nuts. The trees themselves are also affected. Alain De Cré from Naturpunt Merchter has seen walnut trees dying earlier than expected.
“We have planted more than 1,300 fruit trees, including walnut trees,”
he says.
“Some die after only 30 to 35 years, even though walnut trees can usually live up to a hundred years.”
“Spraying poison is no longer allowed, and I don’t want to. Cutting down the tree? No, I can’t bring myself to do that,”
Hugo De Breucker said.
For Hugo De Breucker, the situation is serious. He has watched the harvest from his tree shrink and worries about its future. He hopes that an environmentally safe solution to fight the walnut borer fly will be found soon. Until then, he continues to collect and bury the blackened nuts to stop the insect from spreading.
He mentioned that for 45 years, he had harvested nuts from the tree each season. He often collected buckets full and gave them to neighbours and friends. “I love eating them fresh,” he says. He stated that in the past 2 years, the harvest has sharply declined. The nuts, especially on the east and south sides of the tree, have started turning black. At first, Hugo thought it was the sun, but the problem continued.
In 2018, Europe reported the presence of the walnut husk fly, a North American pest that has since spread to Belgium. This insect has been shown to significantly reduce walnut yields. Experts have identified the risk of infestations that rapidly deteriorate the crop and cause premature fruit drop. Ongoing research is exploring environmentally and ecologically safe pest control methods to help restore walnut trees damaged by this pest.
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