Palm Weevil Treatment

The Red Palm Weevil (Picudo Rojo) a headache in our gardens. 

The Palm Weevil has rapidly infested many palm trees across Spain, leaving devastation in it´s path. You don´t have to look far to see the lasting devastating effects that the weevils have left behind after devouring one palm tree, then flying onto to another and so on, successively. 

How do you know if a palm is infected? 

Palm trees can be infested for several months before the symptoms of infection start to show, this sometimes makes it difficult to diagnose infestation. The major damage is caused by larvae when normally feeding on the inside of the palm tree´s crown. Females normally have several hundreds of eggs, laying them in the palm´s crown at the base of the fronds. The emerging larvae then proceed to eat their way out of the crown area, attacking all the soft new fronds around the center on the palm. 

What are the visible effects of infestation?   

The visible effects and symptoms are normally frond, leave related; scissor like cuts to new central fronds, dried out fronds, that have gone straw colored, fallen external fronds. The ministry of agriculture recommend that preventative treatment against the Palm Weevils should only be carried out by qualified professionals due to the toxic nature of the insecticide.

Red Palm Weevil Spray Treatment.

We recommend our spray treatment every six weeks from the beginning of March to the end of November. This is the time when the Weevils are at there most active and fly from tree to tree. During the winter months they lay dormant. We spray the crown of the palm tree with 25 liters of water together with our very effective 3 different insecticide mixture.

The 3 different insecticides combined together target and kill the adult red weevils and there larvea as the pest rapidly develops in the palm crown. There after it provides a lasting barrer around the palm crown giving future effective protection from weevils for up to 6 weeks.  

Our Success Rate. 

We have found that our effective palm spray treatment to be highly successful must be used every 6 weeks during the period of the beginning of March up until the end of November, when the red palm weevils are fully active. This ensure protection against both the adult weevils and there hundreds of larvae. Over the last decade we have also restored many seriously infected palms back to there former glory which is very satisfying.     

Why is my Palm Tree Infected?

Pruning sends out a very strong smell to the insect world and the Red Palm Weevils are attracted by the pheromones given off by a freshly cut palm tree. It is always recommended to spray the freshly cut wounds with insecticide. Safe to say, only ever cut palm trees that are being protected. 

Cleaning and Shaping of Palm Trees

It would also make sense to have your palms cut and shaped between December and the end of February as traditionally in these colder months the red palm weevils lay dormant, so less likelihood of infection. It is also highly recommended that all pruning is carried out just once a year and throughly. Rather than just cutting the odd frond off from time to time, as each cut is likely to attract weevils to the area. 

What type of Palm Trees are effected?    

The main types of palm trees that are affected by Red Palm Weevil most commonly in Spain are Canary Island and Date Palms, these are the Phoenixes type of palm trees. These are much more prone to this type of infection than the common Washingtonian Palms which are far less likely to be attacked.

What do Red Palm Weevils look like?

The adult Weevils are a vivid red, with black striped wings, a pointed head and vary in length from 2cm to 5cms. The eggs are very small, and are hard to see, being only 1-2mm long, but once larvae hatch, which are ivory colored and pear shaped, they can grow to 5cm in length, although rarely seen, living inside the trunk and base of fronds in the crown.

Once full size is reached, the larvae weave themselves cocoons from the palm fibers, emerging as adult weevils. Evidence of the activity taking place are cocoons often found around the base of a palm tree. 

Don´t wait until your palms are infected by the weevils and risk losing them.