NIEU-BETHESDA NEWS - The tall, Van Goghian cypresses in Nieu-Bethesda are one of the elements of the streets that, along with the gurgling furrows beneath them and the starry skies above them, make the village such a picture-perfect place.
It has been disconcerting of late, that residents have noticed many of these natural monuments being attacked by a cypress aphid that is quite quickly killing them.
One branch of the local CWP (Community Work Programme), identifiable by their bright orange overalls, under the guidance of team leader Johnny Hendriks, seeks out work to assist the municipality with anything that the community needs done - be it digging holes for new trees, fixing up the local pound or fixing a roof for an elderly member of the community.
This team has become integrally involved in saving the cypresses.
Local residents, concerned with the dying cypresses, asked Justin Duckitt of CUER projects if anything could be done. A task team was set up to run with a programme called 'Tree Doctor' to see what could be done to save the cypresses.
This division is coordinated by local resident Lorian Page who assists in identifying the trees which need treatment. Various residents kindly donated the insecticide and the CWP stepped in to spray the trees at 7-day intervals for 21 days, and thereafter at weekly, then monthly intervals.
Residents of Nieu-Bethesda have noticed many of the town's cypresses being attacked by a cypress aphid that is quite quickly killing them.
As each tree is treated, it is marked with a white dot to show how many treatments it has received.
A red dot means that the monthly intervals have been reached.
According to a spokesperson in the task group, personnel has been trained in the correct procedures and there is no impact on the ecology other than the beetle itself. Nieu-Bethesda is grateful for this dedicated team of people who are determined to save the historic cypresses in the village.
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