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Red Palm Weevil

The Red Palm Weevil is a relatively large beetle (2 – 5cms) and is a rusty red colour. Weevil larvae can excavate holes in the trunk od a palm tree up to a meter long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant. As a result, the weevil is considered a major pest in palm plantations. Originally from Asia, the Red Palm Weevil has spread to Africa and Europe, reaching the Mediterranean in the 1980s. It was first recorded in Spain in 1994, and in France in 2006. While adults cause some damage through feeding, it is the burrowing of the larvae into the heart of the palm that can cause the greatest mortality in trees. The adult female lays approximately two hundred eggs on new growth in the crown of the palm, at the base of young leaves, or in open lesions on the plant. The larva will feed on the soft fibers and terminal buds, tunneling through the internal tissue of the tree for about a month. The larvae leave the tree and form a cocoon built of dry palm fibers in leaf litter at the base of the tree. The total life cycle takes about 7–10 weeks. This beetle is reported in almost 15% of the global coconut-growing countries and in nearly 50% of the date palm-growing countries. In this photo, if you look closely, you will notice that it is carrying hundreds of babies under her head.

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Red Palm Weevil-1.jpg
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Copyright © 2016 Chris Connolly - All Right Reserved.
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Macro : Wildlife
The Red Palm Weevil is a relatively large beetle (2 – 5cms) and is a rusty red colour. Weevil larvae can excavate holes in the trunk od a palm tree up to a meter long, thereby weakening and eventually killing the host plant. As a result, the weevil is considered a major pest in palm plantations. Originally from Asia, the Red Palm Weevil has spread to Africa and Europe, reaching the Mediterranean in the 1980s. It was first recorded in Spain in 1994, and in France in 2006. While adults cause some damage through feeding, it is the burrowing of the larvae into the heart of the palm that can cause the greatest mortality in trees. The adult female lays approximately two hundred eggs on new growth in the crown of the palm, at the base of young leaves, or in open lesions on the plant. The larva will feed on the soft fibers and terminal buds, tunneling through the internal tissue of the tree for about a month. The larvae leave the tree and form a cocoon built of dry palm fibers in leaf litter at the base of the tree. The total life cycle takes about 7–10 weeks. This beetle is reported in almost 15% of the global coconut-growing countries and in nearly 50% of the date palm-growing countries. In this photo, if you look closely, you will notice that it is carrying hundreds of babies under her head.