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Red palm weevil
Signs of Infestation
Presence of tunnels in trunks and at the base of fronds caused by larval feeding.
Exudation of gummy fluid or a white foamy substance with a foul odor.
Appearance of chewed wood shavings emerging from holes at the frond bases and at the point of attachment between offshoots and the mother palm.
Yellowing of fronds and leaflets in infested palms and offshoots.
Death of offshoots and suckers.
Hollowing of the trunk as larvae feed on internal tissues, as infestation progresses.
Presence of some or all life stages of the insect.
When the palm’s crown is infested: deformation of frond growth, yellowing, drooping, tilting of the crown, and its eventual collapse as infestation advances.
Insect cocoons may be observed at the base of the palm.
Sources of Spread and Transmission
Transmission through internally or externally infested offshoots.
Injuries to the palm caused by agricultural operations or other factors.
Direct Transmission by flight of adult insects from one place to another.
Transmission from removed trees that were not properly treated.
Transmission through soil containing larvae or pupae of the red palm weevil.
Prevention and Control Mechanism
Proper agricultural practices that reduce moisture around the palm trunk by removing weeds from the palm basin, removing suckers, filling soil around the mother palm trunk, and ensuring that the number of offshoots around the mother palm does not exceed (4).
Spraying the palm trunk and crown in case of any injury, such as during the removal of offshoots and suckers, pruning, frond-base removal, or cutting of male bunches.
Regular visual inspection (screening) or using any approved and available method.
Scraping the infested area or injecting it with one of the approved pesticides.