Rhynchophorus ferrugineus

Red palm weevil

Napadnuté palmy strácajú zelenú farbu a postupne schnú. Foto: Milan Zúbrik

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is a relatively large beetle, body length 2 - 4 cm. It has a characteristic orange-brown color, while it is very variable in color, and some individuals often have dark spots of various shapes, numbers and sizes on the elytra. Larvae of this species gnaw in the trunks of palm trees up to a meter long corridors with a diameter of 3-4 cm. This weakens the palms. This species comes from Asia. From there it spread to Africa and Europe, in the 80's it came to the Mediterranean. It first appeared in Spain in 1994, and in France in 2006. Today, it is widespread in coastal areas and causes decline of palm trees.

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Symptom

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Infested palm trees first lose their green color - the color of the leaves changes to green-gray. The leaves dry and the palm gradually declines. Large openings are visible on the trunks, the presence of this species is sometimes revealed by dead adults around the trunk or cocoons, in which the pupa is hidden, about 5 cm in size.

Tree Species: Palm Tree

Part of a plant- attacked: Tree trunk

Pest significance: Very harmful

Pest Category: Insects

Invasive Species: Yes

Present in EU: Yes

Pest group: Insect

Affected part of wood: Heartwood, Sapwood

Depth of damages: Bark, More than 5 cm depth, Under bark only, Up to 0,5 cm depth, Up to 2 cm depth, Up to 5 cm depth

The extent of damage: Whole trunk

Prevalence in Europe: Common

Damaged products: Fresh timber logs (water still in the sapwood)