Palm Beetle (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus)
The pest commonly known as Palm Beetle of tropical origin, in the eighties and nineties, began its expansion, at the time across the Middle East and North Africa. In Europe, the first records appear in Spain, in 1995, followed by later confirmations in other countries on the Mediterranean Rim, including France, Greece, Italy and Portugal, and in our country it was in 2007, that the first record appeared in Albufeira on a palm tree of the species Phoenix Canariensis. This is nowadays a serious and worrying pest now proven to be a clear threat to many palm trees throughout the national territory.
It is a harmful species that affects the health of certain families of plants, preferably palmids and in particular the Canary palm (Phoenix canariensis). Given its harmfulness, the EU considered the Palm Beetle mandatory to fight, and established emergency measures against its introduction and spread.
The first symptoms are due to the feeding activity of the larvae in the plant tissues and these may only be visible after three months, or even more than a year, since the beginning of the infestation.
At this initial stage it is difficult to detect it, considering the characteristics of this insect, which develops within the plant itself and those of the host itself, which is generally large in size and combined with the fact that the infection may have initially occurred in the crown or in different parts of the stem, it is important that, for your palm tree to be saved, you pay attention and know these symptoms so that your treatment is as effective as possible.
If you have already detected this disease, even at an early stage of infestation, or want to prevent your palm tree from becoming infected, know that there are measures that can be implemented.
These measures can be considered indirect or direct, applying one or the other depending on the plant health status of the plant.
Examples of indirect measures:
Avoid all types of wounds, as injuries lead to attacks. In this sense, it is not recommended to carry out pruning during the months of greatest Palm Beetle activity, limiting it to the coldest period of the year, that is, from December to February;
Apply a healing paste with fungicidal and insecticidal action to the cuts that are made;
Direct measures:
Plants without symptoms in affected areas – carrying out preventive treatments, with alternating sprays, periodically, varying from 30 to 45 days, depending on the pressure of the Palm Beetle, using entomopathogenic nematodes and insecticides authorized for use on palm trees.
Plants with obvious symptoms : Perform surgery to remove the affected tissues and apply insecticide spray to the intervention area.
In these situations, you may choose to perform injections into the trunk, using one of the authorized products or follow the recommendation mentioned above;
Use of traps with attractants to capture adults.
For plants whose recovery is not expected, it is recommended that all plant remains be uprooted and destroyed. For this action there is the possibility of using different methods: crushing, burning (in accordance with current law) or delivery to a company responsible for treating green waste.