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.
FREE Jersey history newsletter
Don't miss our weekly update on Jersey's fascinating history. We promise never to sell your data to anyone else, and there's a super-easy unsubscribe link on the bottom of each email so you can leave whenever you want.
Other events that occured in June
Jersey man who made bread from air dies
- Jersey-born Robert Le Rossignol saved the world from starvation when he found a way to quickly make fertiliser.
- Read more…
Three French men escape to Jersey
- When three French men escaped France and made it safely to Jersey, their liberation from German occupation was to be short-lived.
- Read more…
Corbière Lighthouse is used for the first time
- When the lighthouse at La Corbiere was first used, on 3 June 1874, it had to be lit by hand. It is now solar powered.
- Read more…
Holiday pioneer Billy Butlin dies in Jersey
- Billy Butlin’s name will forever be tied to a certain type of British holiday. He moved to Jersey later in life, where he died.
- Read more…
