Bermuda must rely less on imported plants to avoid inheriting dangerous invasive pests from its neighbours.

This the word from visiting horticulturalist, Stephen Brown, University of Florida Horticulture Programme Leader, who was in Bermuda with his wife, Rose, to speak at a Garden Club of Bermuda meeting about potentially invasive pests.

"It is important to know what your neighbours have, because there is a chance you will have it soon also," said Mr. Brown. "As long as we know what to keep a look out for then we will be one step ahead of the game."

He said Florida deals with the establishment of around two new pests a year. "One of the big concerns right now is the pink hibiscus mealy bug," he said.

It is referred to as pink because it is pink when you crush it and was first discovered in the Caribbean in 1994, and found in Broward County, Florida eight years later.

It attacks ornamental plants such as hibiscus, croton and bougainvillaea, and also crops such as citrus, mango, avocado and tomatoes.

Th mealybug feeds on the soft tissues of many different plants and injects a toxic saliva that causes leaf curling and contortion. Growth of the plant may be affected, and in cases of severe infestation the plant may die.

"The pink hibiscus mealybug usually travels inadvertently," said Mr. Brown. "Someone may bring a small hibiscus from Florida. They would be thinking this would look great in my garden. All it needs is one little egg on there, and that's it. Once it establishes itself you can't get rid of it."

Mr. Brown said another problem in Florida that threatened Bermuda plants was citrus greening disease, known in Asia as the "Yellow Dragon" disease. It has been described as "as bad as it gets" in terms of citrus diseases.

It is caused by a bacteria and symptoms include trees that produce worthless fruit that fails to ripen and has an unpleasant taste.

"Citrus greening is something quite new," said Mr. Brown. "It is something that travelled through the West Indies. It is in Brazil and is now in Florida."

He said researchers in Florida were currently trying to learn more about citrus greening, but potential solutions were not pleasant.

"You have to deal with these things with insecticides and a biological agent, if you can find that agent, but it would not be a good thing," he said.

He said that imported plants in Bermuda are often well-checked before being allowed into the Island, but the best way for Bermuda to protect itself is to reduce its reliance on imported plants. "One should always try to develop one's own industry," he said.

Diana Chudleigh, of the Garden Club of Bermuda, said they were working to educate the public about invasive pests.

"We are hoping to get more information and education publically about the dangers of importation of plant diseases," said Mrs. Chudleigh. "We also want people to know how to detect diseases in the plants. We want them to know what to look for.

"We want people to understand it is a problem and not just a natural occurrence. We also want to encourage our own industries."

Mr. Brown was born in Jamaica. He worked in horticulture with farmers in Jamaica, California and Florida and then decided to focus on ornamental plants.

He has now been a horticulture agent for 16 years, and has a Master of Science degree in Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition from the University of Florida.

In Florida, Mr. Brown is well known for a garden column 'Plant File' in the Fort Myers News-Press, and is a frequent contributor to Florida Gardening magazine.

Shortly before speaking at the Garden Club of Bermuda meeting, Mr. Brown took a tour of the Botanical Gardens with curator Neville Richardson.

Mr. Richardson said that at the Botanical Gardens they tended to be vigilant about invasive pests.

"Our biggest concern is getting the general public to appreciate the Botanical Gardens and Arboretum as gardens and not parks," he said. "We need to work more on educating people."

He said in the future he also wanted to concentrate on developing the research component of the Botanical Gardens.

For more information about Mr. Brown, visit his website at http://lee.ifas.ufl.edu/hort/GardenHome.shtml