Control of red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier) using trunk injections and foliar sprays.
The red palm weevil, R. ferrugineus, was first discovered in the Municipal district of Almuñecar (Granada province), southern Spain in 1996. Field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of 9 insecticides (diazinon, dimethoate, chlorpyrifos, carbaryl, oxamyl, carbofuran, imidacloprid, fipronil and methidathion) and different application methods (soil application, trunk injections, sprays and a combination of trunk injections and sprays) on R. ferrugineus infesting Phoenix canariensis. The highest mortality was obtained with the combination of trunk injections and sprays with the same insecticide. The insecticides carbaryl, fipronil and imidacloprid had the highest efficacy against R. ferrugineus. The spray treatment was more effective when a mineral or summer oil was mixed with the insecticide.