What is a South American Palm Weevil and How does it affect Palm Trees?

The South American Palm Weevil (scientific name: "Rhynchophorus palmarum"), also known as "European palm weevil", is a beetle of the Curculionidae family. It specifically attacks palm trees, but it can feed on other species like Rubber Trees or Date Palms.

They are native to South America and was accidentally introduced into South Florida during 1980's. This insect has slowly spread around South-East Asia since then; having arrived in Malaysia in 1994/1995, Indonesia in 2001, Philippines in 2008 and Thailand in 2010/2011. Some weeks ago , the South American Palm Weevil made its way to India where it has already affected more than half of the Indian states. From South America, have also made their way to South-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean.

The South American Palm Weevil's life cycle can be divided into six stages: egg, larvae, pupa , adult male and female and the overwintering stage (adult). They typically infect palms during late summer and fall by chewing through the palm's crown. This leads to an open wound in which females will deposit their eggs. Consequently, this will result in a massive infestation if no actions are taken against its so curable palm weeliv treatment is necessary. The larva is initially creamy white but turns reddish after feeding for some time. After about 4 months, pupation takes place inside a cocoon within the weevil chamber. After approximately 2 weeks, the adult South American Palm Weevil chews out of its chamber in which it will spend most of its time feeding on palm juice.

The South American Palm Weevil can be treated with South American Palm Weevil Pheromone Traps (containing the active ingredient ethephon) and Fipronil-based insecticide products. Those South American Palm Weevils that are caught in South American Palm Weevil Pheromone Traps should be disposed off rationally; this way you will avoid any pupa contained inside your South American Palm Weevil Pheromone Trap to hatch into adult South American Palm Weevils.

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As South American Palm Weevil infestation is a serious problem in many countries of the world, experts are continuously studying which new techniques might be used to fight this pest. The South American palm weevil eradication has not yet been successfully tested on an area larger than 1 hectare. It has been proposed that releasing parasitic wasps on South American palm trees could reduce the palm weevils populations by 25 - 30% over two years. Other researchers have suggested using the bacteria "Bacillus thuringiensis" to disrupt their feeding, but this has not yet been tested under field conditions.

The South American Palm Weevil was discovered in Brazil in 2003, where it has caused serious damage to Brazil's Atlantic rainforest. Since 2003, this pest has destroyed more than 18 million palm trees; being the South American palm weevil Brazil's most destructive insect pest ever since.

In conclusion, the South American Palm Weevil is a very destructive beetle that can be deadly to many different types of palm trees. So far there are no known eradication techniques available on an area larger than 1 hectare. Most treatments only affect south-american palm weevils for at most two years. This infestation has also been known to reduce palm tree growth by 50 - 80%. It feeds on developing leaves, buds, flowers and fruit of many species of palm trees all over the world including coconut palms. This article tells you more about what this insect looks like and how it affects your tree's appearance as well as growth rate. If you're looking to learn more or are experiencing an infestation yourself, Tree Doctor offers fast response times at affordable prices with no service charge if they can't find any pests!