Marchalina Hellenica is the insect that is causing havoc to pine trees in Victoria and SA.
It is a scale insect that lives in the eastern Mediterranean region, mainly in Greece and Turkey.
It lives by sucking the sap of pine trees, mainly the Turkish Pine and, to smaller extent, Aleppo Pine, Scots Pine and Stone Pine, according to Wikipedia.
This has prompted the Australian authorities to ask for Greek help and know how. Forest Entomologist at the Forest Research Institute of Thessaloniki, Dr Dimitrios Avtzis explains to SBS Greek.
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