By: SUZY TURNER
FOR THE first time in Portugal, a palm tree killing bug has been discovered in Albufeira.
The discovery was made last week by a phyto-sanitary team from Natura Garden Centre after being called out to check on a tree in the Albufeira area.
The Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is so destructive that it can kill trees of the palm family. Usually, by the time it has been identified, it is too late.
Symptoms of the pest include the tree looking rather sad, with wilting leaves where the bug has eaten away at the underside of the leaves and/ or new leaves having a reddish tinge to them.
Damage is produced mainly by the larvae. Adult females lay about 200 eggs at the base of young leaves or in the leaves and trunks, which feed on the soft fibres and bud tissues. They can reach more than 5cm before pupation.
Cavities
Just prior to pupating, they move to the palm’s interior, making tunnels and cavities. They can be found anywhere within the palm, even where the roots emerge.
The pest can affect a number of palm trees including the
 Damage produced by the larvae |
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Phoenix Canariensis, the Dactylifera, Washingtonia and the Chamaerops humilis.
The Red Palm Weevil originated in India and spread to the Middle East in the mid 80s and, in 2004, to Valencia in Spain where an embargo was placed on the species to prevent the spread of the ‘disease’.
Researchers have so far been unable to discover ways in which to identify the pest at an early enough stage to save the trees.
One technique of drawing the bugs away from the trees is using a pheromone trap. More information is available from Jean-Claude de France of Natura, or from the Ministry of Agriculture in Faro who have been alerted to the situation. Jean-Claude advises people who believe the pest may be active within their own gardens should contact him or the Ministry as soon as possible.
Contact details: Natura, tel: 289 396 106, Ministry of Agriculture, Faro, tel: 289 870 700.
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