Red Palm weevils found in Laguna Beach, CA

[Tom S]

First discovery in the US

See Article: http://www.ocregiste...isson-tree.html

Only a mile from my house. Yikes!

[epicure3]

That's not a good sign.

[Nigel]

That's not a good sign.

Thats the understatement of the century...... this is a disaster if it spreads. There doesnt exist anything worse for palm trees.

[joe_OC]

Tom,

Have you noticed a decline in the Laguna Beach palms?

[MattyB]

Ah crap!

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

Time to inquire about their natural enemies!

Otherwise, they'll fly on over and see lunch . . . .

I suspect, on the bright side, that they like some palms more than others. I know they like Phoenix.

Crap!

Scream!

Throw tantrum . . . .

[trioderob]

Boll weevil am a little black bug,

Come from Mexico, dey say,

Come all de way to Californiaaaaa

Jus' a-lookin' foh a place to stay,

Jus' a-lookin' foh a home,

Jus' a-lookin' foh a home.

De first time I seen de boll weevil,

He was a-settin' on de square.

De next time I seen de boll weevil,

He had all of his family dere.

Jus' a lookin' foh a home,

Jus' a-lookia' foh a home.

De farmer say to de weevil:

"What make yo' head so red?"

De weevil say to de farmer,

"It's a wondah I ain't dead,

A-lookin' foh a home,

Jus' a-Iookin' foh a home."

Edited October 5, 2010 by trioderob

[Nigel]

Hmm.

I suspect, on the bright side, that they like some palms more than others. I know they like Phoenix.

Crap!

Scream!

Throw tantrum . . . .

They are capable of total eradication of all phoenix and washingtonia in california.......

[trioderob]

this looks like it could be really bad news.

this weevil has been spreading around the world the last 2 years , not just california

see this web page : http://www.redpalmweevil.com/newlook/index2.htm

look at the section 'news" and see the reports of "first sightings"

here is the story of how they got to north america:

http://www.redpalmweevil.com/newlook/RPWReport/Caribbean.htm

Edited October 5, 2010 by trioderob

[trioderob]

from the same site:

"The larvae are responsible for damaging the palm, and once they have gained access, the death of the palm generally ensues. The larva normally never comes to the surface, since it begins its life inside the palm. Therefore, neither the damage nor the larva can be seen. However, the trunk of the palm can be infested in any parts, including the crown.

The damage caused by a few larvae of the weevil is astonishing.

Even one larva may cause considerable damage, and, sometimes the death of the palm."

more good info and a list of palms that they are known to eat: http://www.fera.defra.gov.uk/plants/publications/documents/factsheets/redPalmWeevil.pdf

Edited October 5, 2010 by trioderob

[Gonzer]

They are capable of total eradication of all phoenix and washingtonia in california.......

So what's the bad news?

[gyuseppe]

or not! in southern Europe has destroyed all the Phoenix canariensis

[gyuseppe]

They are capable of total eradication of all phoenix and washingtonia in california......

So what's the bad news?

in europe I have seen photos also of these that species were eaten: dypsis decaryi ,phoenix rupicola,syagrus romanzoffiana............

[basilios]

We've been hit quite hard by this weevil in Greece and my area in particular, but I haven't seen any palm other than phoenix affected. Not even one washingtonia, and we have a great number of these all around. That said, about 80% of our CIDPs in the area are already dead...

[mlovecan]

Sorry to hear the Weevil has made it your way - we've had it here for about 5 years. CA palms are very important - my interest in palms greatly matured in my few years in California.

Appetite-wise, these things seem to have a real sequence of preferences.

We had only CIDP's getting destroyed - it was like a wave that moved through areas of the island.

A few CIDP somehow seem immune - and a few were chemically-treated well and never got hit twice. But the majority succumbed - now they are looking elsewhere for food.

This year I lost a Majesty to them, they attacked my CIDP X Roeb ( which has been cured for now ) and now they have found their way into my P. Dact.

I haven't seen any Wasingtonias affected by RPW and am surprised they've hit queens in Italy - the local hotel owners buy queens and are under the impression they are not sought by our RPW - for now.

Confidor from Bayer is what I used. After injecting an infected Palm with it ( it's a systemic and the injection occurs over a four week period ) they seem to be pretty scarce for a 10 meter or so radius from the injection.

I wouldn't recommend the traps because they are VERY attracted to the vacinity by them.

Regards

Maurice

Edited October 5, 2010 by mlovecan

[trioderob]

I wonder what sort of economic impact this will have for the palm nurseries in california ?

for example will there be a quarantine against palms from the entire state ?

the finacial implications could be huge.

also the palms that are hit by the weevel cant just be cut up and haulded away.

the tree cant even be burned, it must be buried in a pit to prevent the approx 300 weevils per tree

from getting away so the growth pattern of the infestation does not grow logarithmically.

Edited October 5, 2010 by trioderob

[joe_OC]

Commercially, I would think the date farm business would be hit the hardest...

[DoomsDave]

They haven't eradicated all the palms of Asia. SOmething keeps them under control there. Something always controls an evil bug.

We need to find out what that is. . . . .

[Gonzer]

This is a supreme example of the need for the palm hobbyist to be diverse in his/her collecting interests.

[trioderob]

here is more info on what to do :

http://www.flowersofcrete.info/info_weevil.pdf

[Dypsisdean]

here is more info on what to do :

http://www.flowersofcrete.info/info_weevil.pdf

And of course all of you will be following their advice:

"It is better not to plant any palms at the moment"

[DoomsDave]

Good heavens!

That control regimen is a joke. No one will be able to keep up with that with palms of any size.

Unless of course, the insect can be eradicated, but, I have to warn you all, remember the eradication of the infamous Medfly? (Mediterranean Fruit Fly)

That was a bad pest, too. They even resorted to aerial spraying from helicopters, which nearly sparked a war between State and County Ag Commissioners and local cops. (The Ags won, more or less.)

[LJG]

I hope Ag can get all these guys. Laguana doesn't get any freezes, so that could be trouble and allow a foot hold.

[Nigel]

They haven't eradicated all the palms of Asia. SOmething keeps them under control there. Something always controls an evil bug.

We need to find out what that is. . . . .

Dave, the problem isnt the insect , its man. In its habitat the insect stays in balance with nature, the palm is adapted to attacks and if healthy doesnt die.

It is programmed to attack sick and injured palms. Freshly trimmed CIDP,s with all that sap oozing out is irresistable. The insect goes into a feeding frenzy and eats a palm not adapted to cope with the attack. Man has introduced this pest to new unadapted species and man is cutting the leaves to release the sap that sends them into feeding frenzys.

[PalmGuyWC]

I hope Ag can get all these guys. Laguana doesn't get any freezes, so that could be trouble and allow a foot hold.

I can remember when Lethal yellowing first showed up in Miami near the airport. Paul Drummond who was an expert on Coconuts reported it to the Fla. agg people. They ignored him and their attitude was, "who the hell are you to report lethal yellowing"? They allowed the disease to spread and it wiped out most of the Coconuts in S. Fla.and a lot of other species too. I hope California takes this weevil outbreak more seriously.

Dick

[Charles Wychgel]

They are capable of total eradication of all phoenix and washingtonia in california......

So what's the bad news?

in europe I have seen photos also of these that species were eaten: dypsis decaryi ,phoenix rupicola,syagrus romanzoffiana............

You can add Pritchardia,Trachycarpus to the list as well

[PalmGuyWC]

Perhaps this is a time when all of us palm lovers should contact the Calif. agg people and scream. A collective scream might get their attention. Imagine the skyline in California without Washingtonias and Phoenix. They may be common, but Washingtonias are California's signature palm.

Dick

[John in Andalucia]

And it's not only about the infected palms that have to come out. Authorities will eventually revert to "damage limitation" and start looking to plant other species in their place. Nothing against Queens, but they will start popping up everywhere. In communal settings, you have to "maintain" palms by pruning, but for CIDP at least, I don't think it makes much difference. I've seen dead ones in places where it's obvious pruning hasn't taken place for several years. It's a future scenario, but one that is already happening here in Europe.

I destroyed 14 RPW in one of our two Washingtonias, in an area where there are maybe less than a dozen palm trees in a square mile. Good luck to California. You need to be vigilant, and walk right up to any young CIDP or Washie if the opportunity arises, and check it over starting from mid April through to early June. RPW are slow in the air, like bumble bees, so catching them is not out of the question. In your own garden, I found that swinging a garden rake was pretty effective, as they tend to veer all over the place when taking off. THWACKK!! Advantage Wilson!

[Kris]

...

Edited October 6, 2010 by Kris

[Kris]

Cont...

...

[Kris]

.

[fdrc65]

[Palm Hound]

which palm species were not affected/infested by the beetle?

[Dypsisdean]

Can anyone confirm or verify any attacks on crownshafted palms???

I thought I had seen everything in crazy palm ideas.

[Patrick]

Interesting link with the microwave solution, Dean. Certainly a unique idea- I didn't know they made that attachment for backhoes so I'll certainly keep my eyes out for it in the near future! This looked like an Italian company so I wonder if there are any companies in the US selling the same product. This could be a money making "opportunity" for some entrepreneur out there .

So what I gathered based on Dave's and Nigel's comments are that the 'recommended' containment methods are just pretty much impractical based on what we do and the volume we work with and the best way to avoid the weevils is to not prune your palm trees unless the fronds are completely dead, correct? Confidor made by Bayer is a decent treatment for affected palms. I wonder what this is called in the U.S.?

Sounds simple enough. I have nothing really against Syagrus, and I guess we're a bit lucky up here in the 38th parallel because we actually do get freezes in the winter- so that may help with containment. But I'm almost certain that there is more to be concerned about than I assume. I'm interested to hear more from people who actually have dealt with the buggers. I like the tennis racket idea, too! Too bad most people like 'Joe Homeowner' don't pay enough attention to figure out why his CDIP is dying.

I find it interesting that the weevil originates in Laguna Beach. I wonder why there? I suppose I could speculate for a lifetime on why the weevil wound up there first...

[Nigel]

Interesting link with the microwave solution, Dean. Certainly a unique idea- I didn't know they made that attachment for backhoes so I'll certainly keep my eyes out for it in the near future! This looked like an Italian company so I wonder if there are any companies in the US selling the same product. This could be a money making "opportunity" for some entrepreneur out there .

So what I gathered based on Dave's and Nigel's comments are that the 'recommended' containment methods are just pretty much impractical based on what we do and the volume we work with and the best way to avoid the weevils is to not prune your palm trees unless the fronds are completely dead, correct? Confidor made by Bayer is a decent treatment for affected palms. I wonder what this is called in the U.S.?

Sounds simple enough. I have nothing really against Syagrus, and I guess we're a bit lucky up here in the 38th parallel because we actually do get freezes in the winter- so that may help with containment. But I'm almost certain that there is more to be concerned about than I assume. I'm interested to hear more from people who actually have dealt with the buggers. I like the tennis racket idea, too! Too bad most people like 'Joe Homeowner' don't pay enough attention to figure out why his CDIP is dying.

I find it interesting that the weevil originates in Laguna Beach. I wonder why there? I suppose I could speculate for a lifetime on why the weevil wound up there first...

I think that too many people will continue to prune creating a population explosion as occurred in Spain and then they will turn to healthy unpruned trees as well.

Those Egyptian plants were responsible for the scourge in Europe and now it seems in America too. I dont understand why the distribution of those contaminated plants was not stopped long ago.

[Tampa Scott]

All is not lost with a little work. My CIDP has come under attack by weevils in 2005 and again in 2009. I now use ferti-lome Tree & Shrub SYSTEMIC INSECT DRENCH. Palm recovered with no problem.

[Tampa Scott]

The ferti-lome protects for up to 12 months, but I now treat my CIDP every 6 months. This treatment could not be used for the Date fruit farms.

Edited October 7, 2010 by Tampa Scott

[gyuseppe]

Can anyone confirm or verify any attacks on crownshafted palms???

I thought I had seen everything in crazy palm ideas.

talked a lot about this in Italian! but I not know if really ok ??? only talked , but none has shown??

tampa scott:The problem is very serious in southern europe

[Nigel]

Can anyone confirm or verify any attacks on crownshafted palms???

I thought I had seen everything in crazy palm ideas.

talked a lot about this in Italian! but I not know if really ok ??? only talked , but none has shown??

tampa scott:The problem is very serious in southern europe

I think the native american palm weevils are not so agressivly destructive as the red palm weevil. Here in south brasil the native weevil also attacks damaged trees but the many phoenix here dont get attacked.