WEBPAGE NEWS – 14 nov 2011

REDWEEVIL IN PALM TREES

More information on the redweevil. As you probably know by now, it is a very serious problem and it is important that we all try to protect our trees for the benefit of everyone.

In late autumn/winter the redweevil goes under the soil rather than flying about but it continues to eat away at the roots and the center of the tree. There is a need to treat:

• If the tree is not taller than 2 meters (trunk size) spraying is the most adequate treatment. Every month in the spring and summer months and every two in the autumn/winter.

• If the tree is taller, a combined treatment is needed; spraying and injecting.

For more information of who you can use or what products to buy if you want to do it yourself, consult the garden centres or contact the town hall, through the contact page in the webpage and we will give you the name(s) of the garden centre(s) nearby who have the knowledge and expertise to deal with this problem and who charge reasonable rates. They would come out and inspect your trees and advise you subsequently. They speak English.

If you are new in the area and did not know about the infestation of this bug in palm trees, there is a lot of information in the internet about where it came from, how it has affected other countries and how it came to the south of Spain and has been travelling east and destroying whole city populations of palm trees. Near to us, you can travel to Montesinos, San Miguel de las Salinas or Dolores and see what devastating effect it has been having.

Some sites to look at:

http://www.palms.org/palmsjournal/2002/redweevil.htm

http://www.simplynetworking.es/calida

http://www.gibraltargardens.gi/RedPalmWeevil.php

where it reads

“one of the strongest messages to come out … was the urgent need for immediate action as one infested tree could lead to the loss of every other tree within the immediate area.”