Featured Alien: Banana Bunchy Top Virus

Scientific Name: nigronervosa Pentalonia

How It Came To Hawai‘i :

Humans brought BBTV to Hawai‘i in contaminated planting material and it was first discovered on O‘ahu in 1989. The black banana aphid, a small insect from Southeast Asia, spreads BBTV and has been here since the early 1900s.

Impact Since Its Arrival:

BBTV has crippled the banana industry on O‘ahu. A major effort to fight the disease in North Kona, Hawai‘i Island, is now underway. BBTV was successfully wiped out on Kaua'i in 1998!

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Why does a virus need an aphid?

Viruses need help in traveling from plant to plant. Aphids "partner" with viruses by transporting them. The black banana aphid is the only known carrier of BBTV.

It would take 2-4 black banana aphids to stretch across the tip of a chopstick. These alien aphids have pear-shaped bodies, large mouths and two short tubes extending from their backs. They feed on the sap of plants.

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