Since the country has been experiencing warmer weather, people have begun spotting the strange substance on their garden plants. The froth can often be seen clumped onto plant stems or in a patch off grass and typically looks like ball of froth of foam.
Cuckoo spit. They are talking about cuckoo spit, which has (probably) been around since the start of grasses...
Homeowners are being urged to keep their eyes peeled and report any sightings of it as it has the potential to be harmful.
What?!
Though the insects feed on the plants, they don't remove enough nutrition to harm it and they don't hurt humans, so you don't need to do anything to get rid of the spittle.
Well, then why are you trying to panic people..?
However scientists are worried that a deadly plant disease known as Xyella could be spread between plants by the spittlebug as a carrier.
As the spittlebug is a potential carrier of the disease, scientists are asking people to report any sightings of the foam so that any outbreaks that do occur could be linked and tracked to what causes them.
Ah. Silly me. We have to have a panic about something these days, don't we?
H/T: Legiron via Twitter
5 comments:
It's even better than that - the last sentence:
"These records will help us build up a picture of where the bugs are found, what plants they feed on and how much they move around. This information will be essential for deciding how best to respond should the Xylella bacterium arrive in the UK"
Journos at the Manchester Evening News are apparently so 4king thick that they aren't capable of asking any old bloke at the nearest allotments what it is.
@ The Jannie, You must remember that journos have to be as thick as two short planks to get that job.
This is almost as good as when a number of people living in Texas suburbs were reportedly concerned with the small mutilated and impaled animals they found around their homes and neighborhoods. Serial killers in their larval stage? Satanists?
No. It was the shrikes. Also known as "butcher birds" for good reason.
"It's even better than that - the last sentence..."
As bug scientists, should they already know this stuff?
"...aren't capable of asking any old bloke at the nearest allotments what it is."
Heavens! Leave the office? What a suggestion!
"No. It was the shrikes. Also known as "butcher birds" for good reason."
Where's that double facepalm emoji when you need it!
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