1st June 1963
Colorado beetle arrives in Jersey
“Beaches along the north and east coasts of Jersey are being sprayed with insecticide after some 200 Colorado beetles were found on the shores,” reported The Times. The beetle, which is a parasite of tomato and potato crops, could have spelled disaster for both Jersey and Guernsey’s seasonal crops.
Colorado beetles had invaded the Channel Islands in June 1947 after being blown across from France. Many were washed up dead, but the 1963 infestation was possibly more serious because of the large number that were arriving still alive. Nonetheless, in 1947 Jersey’s potato exports to the mainland had been suspended after beetles were found in crates unloaded there.
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Other events that occured in June
The present States Chamber is opened
- The States Chamber was opened on Queen Victoria's 50th jubilee, and finally gave the States Assembly its own meeting place.
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French fishermen occupy Minquiers
- The arrival of a troupe of French fishermen on Maitresse Ile, the largest of the Minquiers Islands, was hardly a surprise.
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Odeon cinema opens for the first time
- Jersey’s first Odeon cinema opened in Bath Street on 2 June 1952. It had a capacity of almost 1,400 if every seat was sold.
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Jersey re-thinks its laws on treason
- Although it has long been possible to be arrested for treason in Jersey, the island didn’t have the right to try anyone for the crime until 2014.
- Read more…