Pest and power: history of the “orange tree devourer” (Azores, Portugal, 1840-1860)

Abstract

The “orange tree devourer” (Coccus hesperidum, also known as the “Brown Soft Scale”) was the agent of a crisis with economic and political implications that affected orange production in the Azores between 1840 and 1860. This article analyzes the origin, expansion, and impact of the pest, and how island and central powers intervened very quickly to protect populations against pests and diseases in the context of Portuguese liberalism. There are differences between the responses in the three districts comprising the archipelago. The narrative addresses the historiography of epidemics in the first half of the nineteenth century, suggesting the influence of public health ideas on the genesis of nineteenth century phytopathological policies, of which his case is a pioneer.