flowers, plants, bushes, trees, fruit and vegetables.

The Department of Agriculture & Fisheries has warned that its arrival here would have a devastating effect and dramatically alter the appearance of the island.

The Mid-Ocean News recently reported that the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has appealed for the general public to obey laws covering the importation of plant material -- particularly from the Caribbean. If the deceptively benign-looking, tiny pink mealybug manages to take a hold here, "it would be a huge problem. It has spread right round the Caribbean. And because of the tendency of people smuggling things in here without declaring them, we have a problem on our hands,'' the Mid-Ocean News said.

Things to watch out for: What it does: The pink, also known as the "hibiscus'' mealybug (so named because the hibiscus is one of its favourite snacks), is especially dangerous because it attacks more than 200 different variety of plants, trees and shrubs including the oleander, bay grape, bougainvillea, palm trees, allamands, and croton. Edible crops include citrus, maize, avocado, beans, beets, cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes.

Where it is: Its spread across the Caribbean began in Grenada in 1994 and since then has decimated crops and disrupted trade and commerce throughout the islands. Some of those affected include Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts, Nevis, Netherlands Antilles, St. Lucia, Anguilla, Guyana, St. Vincent, both the British and US Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe and Puerto Rico.

What it looks like: A small, soft-bodied insect covered in a cottony white waxy material, the females are oval in shape. Although they are pink in colour, they appear white because they congregate in groups to lay eggs and cover themselves and their eggs in this waxy white material. As the infestation reaches a serious point, the groups of bugs resemble snow, gathering on stems, leaves, buds and even in the roots.

How to control it: Long-term control can only be achieved by biological means, mainly through the release of predators and parasites into the environment to kill the mealybugs. These include ladybugs, and in the Virgin Islands various species of parasitic wasps have been released.