Miami Beach Botanical Garden used to be filled with no less than 2,000 water-trapping bromeliads, whose aesthetic value and vibrant red flowers gave a dazzling look to the ecosystem, until a month ago. Identified as a potential threat by the local authorities in the fight against the Zika virus, they have all been pulled out.
The reason behind this course of action is that it has become a powerful breeding ground for virus-spreading mosquitos. The water gets trapped in the bromeliads' cylindrical centers that the leaves form as it grows out in spiral patterns.
However, the executive director of the Garden, Sandy Shapiro, is quite unpleased with this measure, thinking it is "disastrous."
The situation is more dire than it seems, considering that no more than 10 years ago, the authorities cut out hundreds of thousands of orange, grapefruit and lime trees trying to eradicate a bacterial disease. Many of the trees that the local representatives disposed of were healthy, and the measure had a negative economic impact in the area. As the most common bromeliad is the pineapple, not to mention the ornamental plants, the habitants of Miami Beach are now afraid they're going to experience the same issues as then.
"We were made aware by the Florida Department of Health of this ideal breeding ground, and upon meticulous inspection of our own plant inventories, we found the existence of mosquito breeding to be frequent. Our top priority is to keep Miami Beach residents and visitors safe," explained Melissa Berthier, spokeswoman for the city manager.
The economic implications of this measure could be dramatic. According to the U.S. Census of Horticultural Specialties held by the Department of Agriculture, the businesses of selling bromeliads for patio and indoor use produced no less than $38.8 million in 2014 alone and $7.8 million more from sales of outdoor landscaping bromeliads.
Aside from the bromeliads not being the main responsible factor of the spreading of Zika, any other area in the Miami-Dade County chose to treat the bromeliads with bacterial pesticides and regular hosing in order to get rid of the mosquito larvae instead of disposing of them altogether. This idea seems to be supported by the town planning specialists in architecture and design. They recommend coming up with methods of keeping the plants mosquito-free by removing larvae and faded blooms along with other decomposing materials. Household items such as lawn clippings or flower pots should be considered as dangerous when it comes to trapping water as any bromeliad, according to the locals.
