Beetles

[sur4z]

Bud rot, LY, bad drainage...now this

http://www.palmbeachdailynews.com/special-sections/home-loggia/the-garden-scribe-giant-palm-weevil-feed-on-1937521.html

[Ken Johnson]

Notice it says in the article not to trim green fronds. CIPD are a favorite of this bug and the stupid pineapple prune promotes this bug.

[Palmə häl′ik]

I had one of them fly right into me in Land O Lakes. Tampa.

They're here... (in my best spookiest Poltergiest voice)

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

Ummm, folks…….this isn’t a new pestilence…

......this weevil is native, been here longer than dirt, and has always had a resident host reservoir, one that has such a huge number of individuals (well, it did at one time) that the insect was guaranteed a place in the environment…that host reservoir is Sabal palmetto.

The article needed some good editing ( Palm trees don’t make their own food; they depend on green fronds to feed themselves.)

……of course, if they use their “green fronds” to feed themselves, then of course they DO make their own food!

That is why you cannot feed a plant…as an autotroph, they feed themselves!

And trimming a single green leaf here and there isn’t the problem….

Since this weevil(along with many other insects) is attracted to trees that release volatile organic compounds into the air, over pruning and/or dead and dying plants become like a homing beacon, and VERY stressed plants will be a potential brood reservoir…..at that point there is a large pest population that can fan out to less stressed plants.

Keep your plants healthy, keep them full of leaves, remove declining plants before a prolonged postmortem, and if you are so inclined, treat your prized (mostly non crown shafted) palms with Imidacloprid….but not as a spray…the product will only work as a basal stem or root zone application, and can take as long as 3 months to translocate…...but it will last 12 months....

.....given those parameters I apply it during my dry season, water only enough to ensure coverage, in time for the following growing season when the weevil is active. As a side note, i do remove any inflorescence's on a treated plant to reduce any impact on pollinators.....

...and if you see no immediate problems in your 'hood, leave the insecticide alone.

Giant Palm Weevil?!?!?!

No worry, folks!!!!!!!!

Rusty

[Palmə häl′ik]

I thought these critters were borers... Didn't know they ate foliage......

That's not a big problem.

The problem is the beetles that bore holes and suck the life outta palms... ie the C.I.D.

Is this the beetle that's doin' that

[Rusty on Pine Is.]

It is the larval stage that does all the damage......the adult weevils fly from mid spring to late fall, and lay eggs at the bases of the fronds or at the sites of pruning cuts, and after hatching the larvae travel down to the bud..that is where they feed, and eventually pupate to become adults and disperse to start a new life cycle.

These insects have been here before any of us started planting palms in our yards...the only time i do anything with Palmetto weevil in mind is when i transplant a tree or i see a lot of stress in a potential host palm...or if i see a susceptible palm start a rapid decline in a neighbors yard.

Rusty

[pindo]

I fully agree with Rusty.

I think the best with these insects is always apply a systemic insecticide down to the roots of the palm as protection and only when you see symptoms of infection nearby, make contact insecticide applications

Better a "shower" abundant in the center of the crown that a spray

Cheers

[Kostas]

As a very effective alternative to harmful insecticides,nematodes(Steinernema carpocapsae) + Biorend R work perfectly(98% effective at preventing and 80% at curing) for protecting and treating weevil(and other palm borers) infested palms. And its not a hazard to animals or beneficial insects,,nor does it contaminate the ground water contrary to insecticides. I dont know how easily available this is in FL but its worth looking into in case a palm gets infected This product has kept my palms healthy while growing in heavily infested Rhynchophorus ferrugineus and Paysandisia archon territory!