The damages we can see in palm trees is caused by the larvae that, when feeding, make tunnels up to 1 meter long. Although adults of red palm weevil feed on the palm tree, they do not cause significant damage.
The vast majority of attacks in Phoenix canariensis occur at the crown. The females lay eggs in a central area, close to the meristem, they take advantage of wounds caused by pruning or they make small cavities where after feeding, they lay an egg and seal it to avoid infestations of fungi and bacteria that would make the laying unfeasible.
After 3 to 5 days, the eggs hatch and the larvae penetrate inward, feeding and building galleries. The behavior of the red palm weevil larvae is erratic, so there can be a large number of larvae feeding in the meristematic area, without killing the palm tree, but if they get to eat
The most common symptoms are:
in Phoenix canariensis the most common symptomatology is the appearance of eaten leaves. These leaves suffered the attack of the larvae of the red palm weevil when they were immature leaves that when deployed show wedge-shaped cuts. It is important to keep in mind that these damages were caused by the larvae of the red palm weevil several months before they are deployed and easily observable.
The larvae when eating cause the cutting of the central leaves and as they are not receiving sap they dry and fall.
The central leaves turn yellow and subsequently fall due to the damages caused by the red palm weevil larvae. At first they rest on the peripheral leaves and then end up falling definitively.
The peripheral leaves fall due to the damages caused by the red palm weevil larvae. In this case the larvae have eaten through the secondary área to the meristem, the leaves collapse leaving the central plume standing up.
Cocoon remains between leaves that can sometimes be found on the ground.
When cutting the leaves in the pruning, perforations appear in the base of the leaves caused by the larvae that ate those leaves when they were young.
Leaves eaten at the base, with remnants of sawdust that can fall to the ground..
Tunnels at the base of the leaves that fall off and fall to the ground.
In all of the cases, if we do not act against the plague of the red palm weevil, the final result is the death of the palm tree. This is usually the aspect that appears once dead, prior to the detachment of all dry leaves.
Usually, this is the final aspect it presents once it is dead.
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