September 2010
Hot Property News Letter – September 2010
Welcome to this issue of the Hot Property news letter which we hope you find informative and helpful. If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, which we can address in future issues, you can contact us at info@hotpropertyspain.net
1: AIRPORT CONNECTIONS
We are fortunate in this area to be serviced by two separate Airports, both Valencia & Alicante.
Valencia:
Access by road - The airport is easily accessed from the national road N-220, which connects with the A-3 and the N335.
Travel time from Valencia airport to Moraira is approximately one hour fifteen minutes using the A7 motorway but, if you are not in a hurry, the N332 is a good alternative, particularly as the new bypass around Ondara was opened in the spring of 2010. It should also be noted that the toll for the A7 is around 8€
Access by train - There are two under-ground lines which link the airport to the city centre and the port.
At the present time, there are flights to many European and Spanish destinations, and we list here some of the routes to the UK and Ireland.
City Airport Air line
Bournemouth Bournemouth Ryan Air
Bristol Bristol Ryan Air
Dublin Dublin Ryan Air
The facilities at Valencia are limited to a few shops and bars both air and land side. However, it is a clean and modern airport with usually a quick transition through luggage collection, etc.
Alicante:
With a similar travelling time, via the A7 motorway, although the tolls are cheaper than the Valencia airport route.
Access by road - The airport is easily accessed from the A-7 and national road N-332. The distance between the urban centre of Alicante and the turn off for the airport is eight kilometres in both cases, and the average travelling time varies from fifteen minutes to thirty minutes during rush hour.
Travel time from Alicante airport to Moraira is approximately one hour using the A7 motorway but, if you are not in a hurry, the N332 is a good alternative, particularly as the new bypass around Villa Joyosa was opened in the autumn of 2009, and the toll for the A7 is around 6€
At the present time, there are flights to many European and Spanish destinations, and we list here some of the routes to the UK and Ireland.
City Airport Airline
Belfast Belfast Easy jet & Aer Lingus
Birmingham Birmingham British Midland, Monarch
& Ryan Air
Blackpool Blackpool Jet2.com
Bournemouth Bournemouth Ryan Air
Bristol Bristol Easy Jet & Ryan Air
Cardiff Cardiff British Midland
Cork Cork Aer Lingus & Ryan Air
Southampton Eastleigh Flybe
The facilities at Alicante, were to recently, limited to a few shops air side, however the new terminal with a major upgrade of facilities is very near to completion, and there will be numerous shops and bars to both air and land sides.
2: PALM TREES AND THE RED PALM WEEVIL
The red palm weevil is an insect of the Coleoptera order that causes major damage to palm trees. The rhychophorus ferrugineos, picudo rojo in Spanish, is reddish in colour and 2 - 5cm (2 to 4 inches) in length, with a long stout and can be fatal to various species of palms.
Originates from South East Asia and Polynesia, where natural predators keep them in check. Introduced into Spain in 1994 via a diseased shipment of palms from Egypt, and first seen near Nerja and over the years has reached most of mainland Spain and Islands. Local Authorities are embarked on a number of actions, involving felling and destroying infested palm trees.
Its preferred food is Canary Island Palms and the date palm, but it will also infest the Washington palms robusta and filifera, and these four varieties account for 80% of palms in Spain. However, recent research has shown that they will attack almost any type of palm. The only one which seems to be immune is the dwarf native palm.
Spain has an immense heritage of palm trees and Elche, just south of Alicante, has the largest palm plantation in Europe and has been declared a World Heritage Site and since 2004 over 1000 palm trees have been lost.
In Cádiz province, 5 infected trees became 600 within 3 months.
Indication of an attack
It is difficult to detect the initial presence of an attack and virtually the entire crown can be affected within a matter of weeks. With the date palm, attacks can also be observed at the base of the trunk.
The beetles have a ‘beak’ or pico on the headpiece which, in the males, is hairy. The females lay up to 500 eggs in one batch, generally where the leaves join the trunk or in any fissure or, most devastatingly, in the crown or heart of the palm.
The eggs are creamy-white, rather like a grain of rice and will hatch in about 3 days to ivory-yellow coloured grubs, about 5cm long, with a reddish head. The larval period is around two months and this is when all the damage occurs. They are voracious and will eat metre long tunnels through the trunk and heart of the palm. They then pupate, wrapping themselves in palm fibre, for 3 weeks - four generations can be incubated in 1 year, 2000 offspring from one female. They can fly between 4 and 5 kilometres, so it is easy to see why they have spread so quickly.
The first sign of an infection is an abnormal number of leaves yellowing and a distorting of the leaves. The crown and the entire palm will eventually turn straw coloured.
Checking the base of yellowed leaves will show a reddish deposit left by the larvae.
Listen to the tree - a distinct noise of the larvae chomping away can be detected. Eventually, the tree will give off a putrid smell as its tissues decompose.
Once a palm is infected, the larvae and beetles will live off it until there is no more suitable feeding material. Inside the trunk, it becomes a perfect breeding ground – hot and humid.
This whole issue was initially thought to be a problem for coastal resorts. The colder winter mountain temperatures may limit its activities somewhat but it has certainly not proven to be a barrier.
Prevention
Measures taken by the Ministry of Agriculture include a stipulation that trees over 5cm in diameter, being transported or planted, must have a phytosanitary passport which must be retained for one year.
All professional nursery operators, merchants and landscapers are required to notify the ministry if they identify palm trees that are infected.
Severely affected or dead palm trees must be uprooted and burnt in order to prevent the insects from spreading.
The insects tend to enter the tree via wounds, such as those caused by pruning leaves, since the smell of sap attracts the beetle. Therefore it is not advisable to prune trees in areas near outbreaks, and is best done in the winter when the insects are less active.
Chemical treatments must be applied to the crown and pruning wounds. This operation is strongly advised in areas surrounding any outbreak.
What to use
It is possible to purchase an insecticide from any good garden centre. However, there are a number of other more organic possibilities that reportedly have shown to have an effect, but we cannot vouch for this personally.
Insecticidal soap spray - Standard liquid soap (not a detergent) from a supermarket, mixed with 1 to 2 table spoons of soap to 1.5 litre of water. Soap has been used for centuries as an all-purpose pesticide. It disrupts the insect’s cell membranes and kills pests by dehydration. The key is not to use too much soap or you will also kill the vegetation near the pests.
All-Purpose Pesticide Soap Spray - Strong smelling roots and spices, such as garlic, onions, cayenne and other hot peppers, are known to repel insects. Take a handful of these ingredients and cover with boiling water. Allow to set over night and add to the soap spray.
It is also understood that Jeys fluid at a ratio of 100:1 with water and poured onto the crown of the tree and around the base into the soil will eradicate the infestation.
This newsletter is intended as a guide and to be informative and helpful. Total accuracy cannot be guaranteed and in all legal, fiscal and other matters a fully qualified professional should be consulted. Reproduction of any part of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission.