Pest of the Month November 2010 – Red Palm Weevil (Pest Alert)

  • Hosts:  24 species of palms in 14 genera, including most of the common landscape palms found in California
  • Distribution: Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Australia, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Aruba, and U.S. – Laguna Beach, Orange County
  • Symptoms:  Larval mines and frass in leaf based in the central growing point of the palm, larval damage to leaf bases anywhere in the crown, dieback in the apical leaves, and frass accumulating at points of injury.
  • Spread by:  Adult weevils depositing eggs in a hole in the palm tissue.
  • Management:  If found, contact 643-PEST immediately.  Control measures include insecticides (sprayed, injected), biological controls (generally do not provide adequate control in the field), and planting resistant palms.

Source: Red Palm Weevil, Center for Invasive Species Research, University of California Riverside

Red Palm Weevil. Photo by John Kabashima, University of California Cooperative Extension Service