The symptoms observed in Phoenix dactylifera are different from those of Phoenix canariensis, because the attacks do not only occur in the Crown, but also laterals, basal and offshoots attacks are very common. This way of acting of the female when laying her eggs complicates extraordinarily the handling of this species, so:
• Control by the method of foliar shower loses effectiveness since it is impossible for the insecticide to reach the affected area.
• There are frequent falls of the crowns or breaks at medium height or at the base which can cause very serious accidents.
This last circumstance makes it essential to maximize the actions for pest control, since the consequences go far beyond the loss of the specimen.
The larvae, when eating, cause the cutting of the central leaves and as they are not receiving sap, dry and fall.
The peripheral leaves fall due to the damages caused by the larvae of red palm weevil. In this case, the larvae have eaten through the secondary área to the meristem, the leaves collapse, leaving the central plume standing.
The 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 larvae of red palm weevil, when feeding, create galleries and they expell outward remains of sawdust and excrement that mixed with fermented sap causes a sticky sawdust.
The larvae of red weevil, when eating, cause the fermented sap to escape, which acquires an aspect of sticky mud with a strong vinegar smell.
One of the characteristics that make this species different are the lateral attacks. The red palm weevil female lays the eggs in the stipe of the palm trees at the base of the leaves. The danger of this type of attack is the collapse that can be caused by the breakage of the fibers that can lead to accidents that in some cases are very serious.
Another characteristic of this species, are the basal attacks. The red palm weevil female lays the eggs on the adventitious roots and at the base of the trunk, causing accidents when splitting at that point.
Red palm weevil larvae have eaten below the meristematic zone causing the shedding of the crown. This symptomatology is very worrying because it can cause very serious accidents.
One of the characteristics of the Phoenix dactylifera (Date palm) is that of developing offshoots in the basal or lateral zone. These offshoots are exposed to attacks since they are very accessible for red palm weevil females to lay the eggs.
When the attacks are on the crown of the date palm the final result is the death of the palm tree, presenting this aspect.
Once the palm is dead, the last dry leaves come off. This is the aspect it has.
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