Perhaps, I don’t actually remember, but I hear people say that the breadfruits in Fuvahmulah were almost wiped out by an insect. My father’s island Fuvahmulah is an island that is covered by thick vegetation. The greatest gift that the island has is the nutritious soil and abundance of fruits and thick vegetation.

Around 35 years ago, it was an island with abundance of breadfruit trees. Every household had two or three breadfruit trees. But unfortunately, a creature invaded this unique island.

I thought of writing this article while I was reading a web page about koels. The expert who wrote the publication highlighted that the breadfruit trees in Fuvahmulah were destroyed by Longhorned Beetle (locally known as madi). Then I knew that this insect was behind the ‘invasion’ of Fuvahmulah. Breadfruit tree (Artocarpus altilis) is an evergreen multipurpose and traditional agroforestry species. Its starchy fruits are a staple food. During the period of famine, people of Fuvahmulah were lucky to have breadfruit trees and yam fields.

The expert wrote that the eradication of crow population in the island lead to the beetle invasion. The crows were poisoned withing a week according to some elderly people. This blunt move by former President Maumoon’s regime destabilized the island’s ecosystem.

These creatures can cause branches or trees to break and will eventually kill the tree. Maple trees are the beetle’s favorite host. They can attack and kill many other tree species. We never knew the grim consequences till the destructive invasion happened.