Red palm weevil

Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) is a pest insect which their larvae can excavate holes in the trunk of a palm tree, due to that it so difficult to detect them even if it made a comprehensive analysis.

Originally from tropical Asia, the red palm weevil has spread to Africa, Europe and America, reaching the Mediterranean in the 1980s. It was first recorded in Spain in 1994, since then is one of the most important pest in the south of the country, including Valencia. It could be found in date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) and in true date palm (Phoenix canariensis) but the red palm weevil attack to other many palms.

The adult beetles are relatively large, ranging between two and five centimeters long, and are usually a rusty red color. The adult female can lay between 300 and 500 eggs and from the eggs come out the larvae which live between 2 and 4 months. The neonate larvae are yellow-white, legless, and have a chitinous head capsule that is a darker brown than the rest of the body. The larvae grow up until 5 centimeters. The larva will feed on the soft fibres and terminal buds, while the adults are the responsible of the reproduction. The adults can fly for kilometers. The infestation of the pest can result in yellowing and wilting of palms, which may lead to the death of the affected plant if no treat or control is made.