|
The transport of
offshoots as planting material from infested areas can contribute to the spread
of the pest. Strict quarantine at international and national levels should be applied.
Field sanitation and
cultural practices are one of the important components to prevent weevil infestation.
1- Clean the crown of palms periodically to prevent decaying of organic debris in
leaf axils.
2- Avoid cuts and
injuries.
3- When green leaves are
cut, cut them at 120 cm away from
the base.
4- Cutting of steps in
palms for easy climbing is to be avoided,
as this provides sites for egg laying by weevils.
5- As palms affected by
leaf rot and bud rot diseases are
more prone to weevil infestation, they are to be treated with suitable
fungicides; after
that, application of any insecticide to prevent egg laying by weevils is essential.
6- Destroy all dead palms
harboring the pest by cutting and
burning.
Dead palms or palms beyond recovery are to be split open, exposing the different stages of
the pest present inside and the debris, including the out logs and crowns, are to be
burned.
Trapping the weevils and destroying them is another method by which weevil populations can
be brought down.
See "Trapping Weevils".
No effective biological agent, which can be employed for the biological
control of the pest has been found..
A- Preventive.
B- Curative.
See
"Chemical Control".
In order to successfully implement
weevil management the cooperation of the farmer is
essential. For any large scale pest management program to succeed, it is imperative that
the farmer cooperate and involve himself at the operational level. This can be
achieved by making him aware of the seriousness of the problem and training him
in various IPM skills.
The only effective control is to cut down all infested palms and destroy them at an early
stage so the nests of larvae cannot hatch and repopulate an area. The trunk of the
palm
needs to be split open and all stages destroyed. Burning the head does not kill the stages
in the middle of the trunk. Thus, the whole trunk should be chopped and burned.
|
